


Consequences

by burning_arrow



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:19:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4179600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burning_arrow/pseuds/burning_arrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shortly after Korra and Asami return from the Spirit World, Korra still isn't quite sure where she stands with Asami, but she won't have the chance to find out before the two of them are swept up into a plot that could have devastating consequences for both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a/n: This is (of course) a Korrasami story, but at times will be told from the perspective of characters other than our two lovebirds, because I love so many of the other characters too. Also, as much as this starts out light-hearted there will also be angst - giant heaping mounds of angst, with only a side of fluff. You have been warned. Lastly, I’m working under the assumption that all the characters know about Korra and Asami’s relationship at this point, so no coming out or explanations necessary.

Shuffling slightly from foot to foot as she waited in front of Asami’s secretary, Korra felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter more strongly than before.  The tidy woman behind the desk eyed her with one arched eyebrow.  No one saw Asami except through Tamtu, and the secretary couldn’t have given two yuan that Korra was the Avatar.  Of course that was why Asami had hired her – Tamtu could turn away President Raiko or a stampede of flying bison with the same air of dignified implacability and without batting an eyelash.  Korra gave the secretary a sheepish grin and plunked herself down in one of the empty chairs in the outer office.

Blowing out a heavy breath, Korra rubbed the back of her arm nervously.  She and Asami had returned from the Spirit World only a short ten days ago, yet everything seemed like it was changing so fast.  With both her factory and her offices destroyed, Asami had quickly purchased and commandeered one of the abandoned buildings a little farther from the city center for the temporary headquarters of Future Industries, along with two warehouses down by the water that she was converting into new factories.  With Varrick and Zhu Li still on their honeymoon, it fell to Asami to begin picking up the pieces of Republic City.  Between a constant stream of meetings, planning sessions, almost daily phone calls from Raiko, and inspections throughout the city of various on-going projects, Asami had barely had time to speak to Korra, though the engineer pointedly set aside at least a few minutes each evening to talk to the Avatar, even though her exhaustion was clear.  Korra felt both guilty and elated whenever she finally saw Asami, or heard her voice over the radio.

Korra understood Asami’s work, she really did.  But try as she might to be supportive, she had finally admitted to herself that she was lonely without Asami.  Added in was the fact that her own schedule wasn’t exactly keeping her busy.  She tried to help out with the reconstruction efforts where she could, but Asami’s teams knew a damn sight more about erecting roads, bridges, and buildings than she did, and Lin’s patrols were doing a fine job keeping order in the shattered city.  Apparently, even the criminals were too shell-shocked by Kuvira’s invasion to get up to too much mischief.  She made a point of being out and about to comfort the citizens, but her reception was mixed at best.  Everyone appreciated her putting an end to the Earth Empire invasion, but their reaction to the devastation of their city was not nearly so chipper.  Korra felt useless and a bit adrift, mostly spending more time than she wanted amusing Mako while his arm healed.  Mako was one of the few who understood her restlessness.  With Wu abdicating and his injuries keeping him from returning to the police force for now, Mako was practically climbing the walls of his apartment in boredom.  Korra huffed.  Seems like she was good at destroying cities, but not too great at rebuilding them.  The thought didn’t give her much pleasure.  Yet, Asami made her feel like she could be better, like she was so much more than just a living hurricane that constantly swept across the land, altering nations and people’s lives in her wake.

Thus, her visit to Asami’s office today.  Reconstruction or no, she was going to ask Asami on a date.  Part of her felt foolish and selfish for wanting Asami to take time out of her insane schedule to be with her, but another part of her knew that the engineer wanted this.  They both needed this.  It was just that life kept getting in the way.

In the Spirit World, things had been so different, so much easier.  Korra and Asami spent every day simply being themselves and enjoying each other’s company while exploring the wonders of the other realm.  They talked, they played, they discovered each other in new ways that hadn’t been open to them when they were just friends.   Sometimes the weight of the material world crept back into one of their minds – Asami would cry over her father (and sometimes even her mother) or Korra would be reminded of the apparition that had haunted her days for so long – but then the other would pull them back to the present with jokes and hugs and kisses…

Korra sighed as the ends of her lips quirked up.  Ah, the kisses.  She adored the way Asami kissed, all shy nervousness barely hiding heady desire.  Korra had kissed her back with an unusual amount of restraint.  It wasn’t like she hadn’t kissed before, but somehow with Asami everything felt fresh and new and inexplicably delicate.  So she touched Asami with ginger caresses, afraid that if she pushed too hard or too fast, Asami would bolt like a rabbit swallow bursting from its perch.  Each day they got a little closer, slowly inching toward each other with tender care.  Though sometimes Asami would look at her in a way that made her want to throw all her caution out the portal, yet she held back.  Even that last night, when Asami had purposefully taken Korra’s hands and slid them under her shirt, when Korra’s fingers on her soft flesh had the engineer gasping into the Avatar’s mouth and both their bodies vibrated and trembled with the overwhelming sensations coursing through them, Korra held back.  She was going to take it slow.  She was going to do this right.

But damn it all, if she sometimes just didn’t want to grab Asami and kiss her with everything she had.  She wanted to finally taste Asami’s skin beyond the few furtive kisses that she’d already pressed to that long pale neck.  She wanted to pull Asami’s shirt off completely and feel her own skin sliding over creamy, smooth skin.  She wanted to grip Asami’s hips with firm hands and pull her in tight, and then, when she couldn’t stand anymore, she wanted to pop open the buttons of Asami’s pants and…

“Korra?”

The question jarred Korra from her reverie.  Asami peered down at her with furrowed brow and concerned eyes.  Oh Spirits, how long had Asami been standing there?  Embarrassed heat, so different than the warmth that had been gathering low in her belly, surged under Korra’s skin and rushed up into her cheeks.  She nearly jumped out the chair she’d been sitting in, only to catch her foot on one of its legs.  She went sprawling into Asami, who barely caught the flustered Avatar.

“Uh, hi, Asami,” muttered Korra ruefully as the engineer set her back on her feet.

“Are you OK?” asked Asami, giving Korra a look that was less worried and more amused now.

“Um, yeah.  Yeah, I am.  Are you done with your meeting now?  Can I get a few minutes?” Korra responded quickly, still trying to cover up for her less than suave greeting.  She was pretty sure she was still beet red, and seeing Asami dressed to kill in her business best was not helping her any.

“Of course.”  Asami smiled so sweetly at her, Korra couldn’t help but smile herself.  The Avatar felt herself relax minutely.  “Let’s go into my office.”

Turning to her secretary, Asami said, “Tamtu, I’d appreciate it if you would hold my calls for now.  I don’t want to be interrupted.”

If Tamtu found anything about the situation odd, she registered no reaction on her features, but Korra would swear that her eyes glinted with a hint of humor as she gave Korra one last glance.  The heat that had barely started to recede rose in her face again.  The warmth turned to flames when Asami grabbed Korra’s hand and led them into her office.  The engineer closed the door to the office behind them and placed a quick, shy kiss on Korra’s cheek before letting their hands separate.  Korra missed Asami’s cool fingers almost instantly as Asami leaned against the edge of her desk, and her skin tingled where Asami had kissed her.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Asami said in a low voice, her smile broad for a moment before fading slightly.  “I hope there’s nothing wrong though.  You don’t usually show up in the middle of the day.”

“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” Korra reassured quickly, throwing her hands out in front of her to emphasize her point.  “I just wanted to ask you something.”

Asami tilted her head with curiosity. “What’s that?”

Korra’s mouth felt really dry and her stomach roiled with anxiety.  Before she could stop herself, she took in a deep breath and launched into her request, though it didn’t quite come out the way she intended.  “OK, so I know you’ve been really, really busy with the whole fixing the entire city and what not, and that you’ve been really tired every day, but here’s the thing, I can’t stop thinking about you and I miss you, and I was really hoping that you’d go on a date with me-“

“OK.”

“And I know that might sound really selfish of me, because you have a lot more important things to do right now, but I also know you work too hard and I really think you need a break and…“  Suddenly Asami’s response filtered into Korra’s brain, stopping her mid-sentence.  “Wait, what?”

Asami laughed at Korra’s confusion.  “I said, ‘OK’.”

“You really want to go on a date with me?” Korra asked, wondering at how much easier this had been than when she pictured it in her head.

“Of course I do.  What would make you think I wouldn’t?  I know we’ve both been busy lately,” started Asami.  Korra thought that was a charitable assessment of her own schedule, but decided to let it slide.  “But I’ve missed you too.  And I have been working an awful lot.  If it wasn’t for Tamtu I’m not sure I’d even remember to eat half the time.  I want to be able to sit down with you and forget everything for just a little bit, like we did in the Spirit World.”

Korra felt her heart swell in her chest.  She knew Asami cared for her, but she hadn’t wanted to admit how worried she was that things would change once they got back to the material world, that maybe Asami would decide trying to have a relationship in all the chaos might just be too much.  She hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear that Asami wanted this too.  She flashed Asami her biggest grin.

“What about tonight around seven?”

“Sounds perfect.”

“Where should I meet you?”

“Why don’t you come by here?  Sad to say I have more than one change of clothes here, since I’ve been spending half my nights on the couch.”  Asami waved in the direction of the couch along one wall.  Korra frowned slightly at the offending piece of furniture.  She didn’t like the idea of Asami bunked out in her office.  She deserved better.  And tonight she would get better.  The thought brightened Korra’s features again.

“I’ll be here.”

Still smiling, Korra approached Asami, gently taking the engineer’s hands in hers.  “I’d really like to kiss you now.”

Asami gave her a lopsided smile of her own, and her green eyes seemed to darken a shade.  “You don’t have to ask for permission, you know.”

With Asami half sitting on the desk, Korra and she were eye level.  Korra gazed at Asami, watching as Asami bit her lower lip unconsciously, yet there was a challenge in Asami’s eyes.  Korra’s heart pounded faster as she leaned in.

 _This is the best thing ever_ , Korra thought as her eyes fluttered closed and her lips touched Asami’s.  Asami’s lips were deliciously soft and tasted of plums.  They molded themselves to Korra’s mouth in the most enticing way, beckoning Korra to push for a little more.  She gently nipped Asami’s lower lip, then stroked it with the tip of her tongue.  She heard Asami moan at the contact.  The sound stoked the fire low in her gut.  She wanted to demand so much more, but instead she slowly caressed Asami’s lower lip again.  Asami responded with a swipe of her own tongue.  The sensation of their tongues meeting left Korra dizzy.

What started as a hesitant kiss spiraled into something else entirely when Asami dropped Korra’s hands and wrapped her fingers in Korra’s hair, dragging her deeper into the kiss.  Korra groaned, her hands making their way onto Asami’s waist.  Her blood throbbed in her ears.  One of Asami’s arms dropped to wrap around Korra’s shoulders, pulling her closer.  Their bodies pressed up against one another, and Korra shuddered as Asami wrapped one long leg around her.  She let her mouth devour Asami’s, wanting to bring her nearer and nearer.  Asami whimpered, sending shockwaves of pleasure down Korra’s spine.  Her heart roared, her chest heaving.

Oh Spirits, she needed this.

She needed…

She needed…

She needed to slow down.  For Asami.  Right.  Korra was barely able to tear herself away from Asami’s mouth.  She leaned back in Asami’s arms, gasping for breath.  Asami looked at her intently, her face unreadable, but Korra couldn’t help but notice the faint pinkish flush on Asami’s pale skin that spread from her face down her neck, disappearing into the collar of her shirt.  Korra forced her eyes back up to Asami’s.  The engineer had a slight smirk on her face.  Before she could change her mind, Korra pushed away just a little more.

“I- I guess I should go,” she stammered, her voice surprisingly high.

Korra wasn’t certain, but Asami’s expression looked disappointed – maybe annoyed? – before her features smoothed and the engineer sighed.  “Yes, I suppose you should.”

“But I’ll see you tonight?” Korra questioned worriedly, confused at Asami’s reaction.

Asami smiled again, a genuine smile that eased Korra’s mind.  “Absolutely.”

Cupping Asami’s face in her hands, Korra placed a lingering kiss on Asami’s forehead – not trusting herself to kiss her lips again – before sliding away completely.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said as she backed out of the office, her eyes never leaving Asami.

“Count on it.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Come on, Meelo – PLEEE-ASE!” whined Korra.

“Why can’t you just get someone else to do it?” Meelo shot back, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

“I already told you, everyone else is busy.  Kai and Jinora left this morning, Ikki’s taking the new air benders to the Southern Air Temple for training, and well, you’re it.”  Korra peered down at Meelo with wide, pleading eyes.

“What do I get out of it?”  Meelo squinted up at the Avatar, crossing his arms across his chest.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck, trying to give herself a moment to think.  She wracked her brain.  “Um…hmm, sticky buns for a week?”

“Not good enough.  Do I look like I can be bought so cheaply?  What else ya got?” said Meelo, a mischievous smirk on his face.

A thought suddenly struck Korra and she returned Meelo’s smirk with one of her own.  “You’ll have my silence.”

The answer seemed to confound the young air bender.  “Huh?”

“That’s right.  You do this for me and I won’t tell Tenzin and Pema who actually broke those antique vases last week,” replied Korra, her smile becoming unnaturally wide.

“Aw, man!” pouted Meelo.  “No fair.”

“Oh, come on.  It’s not that bad.  One quick delivery and then you’re all done.  Now, get going.”

Korra held out the bouquet, which Meelo snatched out of her hand.  He stomped off, grumbling under his breath.

“And those flowers better be in good shape when they arrive!” shouted Korra after him.

She grinned from ear to ear.  Asami was going to be so surprised.  Flowers and a dinner date.  Maybe Korra could actually get this thing right.  Tonight was going to be great.

***

Asami squinted at the blueprints in front of her.  The design for a new type of building foundation was almost ready, but something about the calculations didn’t quite add up.  She furrowed her brow as she peered at the columns of numbers at the edge of the diagram.  Then her eyes lit up.  Ah ha!  There it was.  She grabbed the pencil from behind her ear, erased a few notations, and quickly scrawled in the corrected formulae.  She felt a surge of pride as she plunked the pencil down on top of the schematics – one more task she could scratch off her to do list for now, though of course, this was only the first step in what would be a multi-phase project.  But her part was done for now, and she could ship it down to the materials department with a certain sense of satisfaction.  She straightened up, her back protesting slightly from being stooped for so long.  Placing her hands on her hips, she stretched backward with a contented sigh.

Glancing at the clock, she twisted her mouth into a slight curl of annoyance.  Four more hours until Korra would come calling.  The time seemed both far too short with all she had to do today, and yet interminably long with the way she wanted to quit her office for an evening with the Avatar.  Thinking of Korra’s ice blue eyes and her frank grin had Asami’s insides warming nicely.  She would have given anything for another week in the Spirit World right now.  No distractions, no demands, just long sun-filled days with Korra at her side, the Avatar’s warm, calloused hand in hers.  And soft moonlit nights spent in those strong, sure arms.  Asami sighed.  It had been a little piece of heaven – even if Korra moved slower than a tortoise snail in winter.

Asami chuckled at that.  It wasn’t that she was trying to rush things.  The relationship between her and Korra was progressing nicely.  But Korra made Asami feel things that she’d never felt before, and she didn’t want nice, she wanted Korra closer to her than she’d ever let anybody come before.  She knew in no uncertain terms that she loved Korra, and she felt a driving need to express that in every way possible.  The impulses she felt nearly drove her mad, and every time it appeared that she and Korra were getting somewhere, the Avatar would suddenly grow shy and awkward and reserved.  If it wasn’t so ridiculously cute, Asami would have been more than a little frustrated.  Perhaps she still was.  On the one hand she didn’t want to push Korra into something she wasn’t ready for, on the other maybe she just needed to let Korra know how she felt.  If the Avatar knew how Asami’s insides melted with every touch of her hands on Asami’s skin, maybe Korra would feel more confident.  Asami brightened at the idea.  Tonight, she would say something.  She smiled.

A low thump from the outer office startled Asami out of her thoughts.

“Tamtu?” Asami called out questioningly as she pressed the call button on her desk.

No response.  Though the mid-afternoon sun streamed through her office windows, a chill passed through Asami, the hair prickling on the back of her neck and arms.  She tried brushing it off.   _It’s probably nothing.  Tamtu probably just stepped away from her desk for a minute.  After everything that’s happened, I’m jumping at shadows._

Still mashing the call button down, Asami said in a sharper voice, “Tamtu?”

No response.  Her heart began to thump as her adrenaline coursed through her veins.  Stepping away from the call box, she yanked open the top drawer of her desk, reaching for her shock glove.  Kuvira and her army may have been defeated, but she’d seen too many things in her young life to leave it far from her reach.  As foolish as she would look if Tamtu came through the office door, Asami would rather that than the alternative.  She fervently hoped she was over-reacting.  Quietly, steadily, she pulled the glove on, her eyes trained on the door between her office and the outer office.

There was another thump, then the door flew open, blasted off its hinges with a shrill shriek of metal.  Asami leapt across the desk, hoping to use the element of surprise on whoever came through the door first.  Earth Empire soldiers poured into the room, half a dozen at least.  She struck one with sharp cut to the throat and slammed her gloved hand onto the chest of another, electricity pouring from its palm.  She spun away, using a low kick to sweep the feet out from under a third soldier.  If she could just clear a path, she might get out the door before they recovered.  

Suddenly the shock glove tightened painfully around her hand and wrist, threatening to crush her bones.  She bit her lip to keep from crying out.  The glove jerked back and up, and she found herself dangling uselessly in the air.   _Of course_ , she thought bitterly, _some Earth Empire soldiers are metal benders._

“Secure her!” one of the soldiers in the back shouted.  The insignia on his uniform marked him as an officer.

While the soldiers moved in, Asami lashed out furiously, catching one in the jaw with her foot.  Before she could land another kick, however, thin metal plates wrapped around her legs, binding them tightly together.  Her arm jerked down, and her wrists were bound behind her in a similar manner.  The shock glove loosened and slipped to the floor.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you’re not going to get away with this!” Asami snarled, struggling against her restraints, though she knew it was futile.  The bender holding her up stopped and she landed unceremoniously in a heap on her office floor.

The officer leaned over her, a smug look on his face.  “Ah, but we are getting away with this, Ms. Sato.”  He glared at the other soldiers.  “Get her to the airship, now!”

Taking a deep breath, Asami forced herself to go still, suppressing the urge to fight.  She did her best to slump forward in apparent defeat, hanging her head as soldiers hauled her up, one on each of her arms, and another grabbing her legs.  Force hadn’t worked, and being a non-bender, all she had left was her cunning and her patience.  Her father’s voice echoed in her head, reciting a lesson that he himself had learned from another teacher, _“Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.”_   She took in more deep, soothing breathes, becoming dead weight in the soldiers’ arms.

As they carried her through the outer office she surreptitiously glanced around.  Her eyes found Tamtu, bound and gagged, but very much alive and conscious on the floor by her desk.  Asami nearly sighed in relief.  For the first time that Asami could recall, the assistant’s eyes were wide with fear.  Asami nodded almost imperceptibly at her.  It was the only reassurance she could offer.  Despite the impetuous gesture, Asami felt nothing but grim determination hardening her core.  These people would come to regret the day that they crossed Asami Sato.  That was a promise.

***

Tucking in the wings of his squirrel suit, Meelo touched down on the roof of the new offices of Future Industries.  Still grumbling at how the conniving Avatar had tricked him into doing her dirty work, he glanced at the flowers in his fist.  They were a little worse for wear after their flight from Air Temple Island, but they remained presentable enough.  He rolled his eyes.

Badly mimicking Korra’s voice in a false high pitch, he held up the flowers to an imaginary Asami.  “Oh, Asami, you’re SO pretty.  I love you forever and ever!  Will you marry me?  Pretty, pretty please?”

Dropping his arm, Meelo started to saunter toward the door leading down into the building, grousing to himself.  “Girls are so stupid.”

He was halfway across the roof when the door slammed open.  Without thinking, Meelo ducked behind a ventilation cover.  Peering around the edge of the cover, he stared in disbelief as Earth Empire soldiers came pouring out of the door.  In the middle of the pack, three soldiers carried a limp body.  Meelo craned his neck to get a better look.   _Oh no, Asami!_

Before Meelo could even react, the soldiers had hurried up the gangplank of the Future Industries airship, drawing it up behind them.  The engines roared to life, the rotors whirling faster and faster.  As the ship began to ascend, Meelo leaped into action, the flowers forgotten behind him on the roof.  No one was going to steal his friend!  He launched himself into the air, spreading the wings of his glider suit and bending a gust of air that carried him aloft.  He banked around the airship, trying to avoid the windows and port holes.  If he could just get to the upper hatch, he might be able to do something, though he wasn’t sure of what yet.  Meelo never bothered much with planning, relying on his quick wits to get him through tight spots.  He laughed as he flew.  They just didn’t know who they were messing with.

***

The soldiers dumped Asami like a sack of wrenches into a supply closet.  The impact onto the hard floor jarred her elbow and she nearly swore out loud.  They didn’t close the door though, just stood there waiting.  The officer joined them.  He looked her over.  She tried to act as timid as possible, turning down her eyes, and inching away from him as if she were afraid.  He snickered.

“Not so tough without your little toys, are you?” he jibed.  She moved her head away from him, schooling her features into an expression of fear and embarrassment.

“What are you going to do to me?”  She made her voice weak and small, though her insides burned with outrage.

“Nothing at all if everything works out right, Ms. Sato,” he said.

Asami needed more information.  Filling her voice with even more fear she replied, “I – I don’t understand.  What do you want from me?”

“It’s not what you have Ms. Sato, it’s who you are.  When the Avatar learns that we have you, she’ll be more than happy to give us Kuvira in return for your safe return.”

So that was their game.  They needed her as a pawn to trade for that beast that had killed her father.  Not that she believed for one instant that Korra would make that kind of deal.  Then she thought of the way Korra had started looking at her recently, and she wasn’t so certain that Korra’s emotions wouldn’t get the best of her.  But Asami would die before she’d play any part in their plan.  Surely, her life was worth seeing that monster rot in some hole for the rest of her life.  Of course, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.  She wasn’t giving up on escape just yet.  She’d be damned if someone kidnapped her using her own airship.

She must have been so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t hear the officer move until her head was yanked up by the back of her hair.  She winced in pain and for a moment she didn’t have to fake the fear that flashed in her eyes.

“Now, you should know that you are on a ship with more metal benders than you can count, so I don’t want any more problems out of you, do you understand me?” he snarled softly.

“Yes!” Asami gasped out.

“Yes, what?” he demanded, his hot breath ghosting over her face.

Swallowing her pride and hiding her defiance, Asami gulped and replied, “Yes, sir.”

“Good.”  The officer released his hold and Asami let her head fall forward again, hoping it hid the hot anger burning inside her.   _Be patient.  Be calm.  Wait for the right moment._

The officer rose and turned to leave the closet.

“Please, sir,” she said, happy that it sounded like a whimper.

He paused.  “What is it?”

“If I am to stay in here, could I please at least be untied.  I – I don’t like small spaces.”  She was sure to add a tremulous note to her voice, hinting at deeper terror.

The officer didn’t respond for a long time.  She could feel his eyes on her, probing the back of her head as if trying to read her thoughts.  She almost thought her gambit had failed, when he gave a cold chuckle.

“Very well.”

The metal plates fell away from her just before he slammed the door shut, plunging her into darkness.  Asami smiled a thin, joyless smile.

***

Meelo dropped through the hatch as silently as he could, his head whipping this way and that for any signs of the soldiers.  No soldiers appeared, no shouts rose, so he figured his entrance was good.  He glanced around him again.  The hallway stretched on forever (or at least the whole length of the airship), and he could see multiple side hallways cutting off from the main branch.  The young air bender scratched his head.  How was he going to find Asami in this maze?

Throwing back his shoulders, he strode down the hallway, figuring his razor sharp instincts would tell him where to go.  He’d passed two side passages, when a group of three soldiers rounded the corner from the next passageway into the main hall and headed straight for Meelo.  With a sharp puff of air, he leapt into the rafters, but the soldiers caught sight of him anyway.  For a moment, both parties froze, staring in shock at each other.

Meelo reacted first.  Gripping a rafter, he swung down feet first, driving a massive wedge of air before him that knocked the soldiers backwards.  His laugh of triumph was cut short as the metal beam above him warped and snaked, trying to grab his wrist.  He let go in a panic, his back hitting the floor as he fell like a stone.

“Owww…” he whined grumpily, which turned into a startled yelp when the rafter thrust down at him.  He rolled away and used a blast from his palm to right himself just as the beam pierced the floor where he’d just been.  He blew out a noisy sigh of relief.  That was close, too close.

Two soldiers were on their backs, but a third glowered at him as he brought his hands snapping forward, metal plates shooting around him toward Meelo.  Forming an air scooter, Meelo rode up the wall and flipped over the soldier, blasting him in the back with another gust.  The soldier fell forward, tangling with his companions on the ground.

Alarms blared, and Meelo realized he’d most definitely lost the element of surprise.  The soldiers were already struggling to their feet.  The sound of pounding footsteps rumbled down several of the side passages, indicating more soldiers were on their way.  Meelo whirled around, not knowing what to do.  This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.  Shouts echoed in the corridors, the soldiers he’d knocked down were almost upright again.

Meelo ran.

***

Groping in the dark, Asami searched for the emergency kit she knew should be somewhere in the supply room.  Finally she found it mounted on the wall, right where it should be.  Rummaging around, she found and flicked on the electric torch, and the instrument threw harsh, deformed shadows on the wall.  Gripping it with her teeth, she used both hands to rifle through the kit, grabbing the flare gun, flares, and the small tool bag.  She thanked the Spirits her father had taught her to always be prepared.  Every Future Industries airship had several of these kits distributed strategically throughout their interior.

Finished with the kit, she shone the torch around the room, searching for other supplies she could use.  Her eyes caught on two sets of mechanics uniforms hanging from pegs on the wall, complete with heavy leather boots stowed below them in cubbies.  They were big, but better suited to what she was about to do than her business attire.  She stripped efficiently and silently, donning one of the uniforms, rolling up the baggy sleeves, and using the belt to cinch it tight around her waist.  She laced the boots tight on her feet and pulled on a set of leather gloves that fit surprisingly well.  She clipped her tools and flares to the belt, slipping the gun itself into her pocket.

One last sweep of the room showed nothing more of interest, the closet mostly being used for chemicals, oils, and other supplies to keep the ship maintained.  Many of them were flammable or explosive, but she wanted to live through her break out, so she ignored them.  What she wouldn’t give for a plasma cutter right now, but she knew she could work with what she had.

She flicked the torch upward, grinning when she saw the air duct grate overhead.  All she had to do was get out of here, and then she was going to bring the airship down around these thugs’ heads.  Granted, Future Industries airships weren’t like the cheap buckets of trash built by Cabbage Corp, but everything, no matter how well designed, had its weaknesses, and luckily Asami was the one person who knew each and every one when it came to her airships.  Her grin widened.  This might almost be fun.

She’d have to be quiet though.  It wouldn’t do to get caught prying the grate off because the guards just outside her closet heard her.  She scaled a set of shelves as silently as she could and reached for her tool bag, feeling her way through the tools without looking.  She had just grasped the right one when alarms started sounding around the ship.

 _What on earth?_  Asami’s ears perked up, listening for the source of the alarms.

But Asami was not one to lose an advantage, and she switched tools quickly, simply wrenching the grate off with one hard jerk.  The alarms covered the sound quite nicely.  She thrust her upper body into the duct, then dragged her legs in behind her.  She scrambled as quickly as she could away from the closet.  The farther she could get before they discovered her disappearance, the better.

A sweaty, tense five minutes later saw Asami lowering herself carefully into the engine room.  She glanced around quickly, but no one seemed to be present.  Alarms still rang out, and she guessed whatever guards there were had been called away – either that or the officer had bluffed about how many soldiers were on board.  Regardless, Asami thanked her good fortune as she stepped over to the main bank of capacitors.  She wanted to do enough damage to cripple the engines and force them to land, but not enough to send them plummeting from the sky like, well, the metal balloon that the ship actually was.  She yanked one capacitor free from its socket, then another.  One of the rotors slowed compared to the others, she could hear it in the pitch and feel it in the yaw of the ship.  Two more and they would lose one of the engines for sure.

As she was reaching for another capacitor, a terrible ruckus rose from the main entrance of the engine room, louder than even the sirens.

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

A streak of red and yellow went flying past Asami, shocking her senseless for a short moment.   _Was that Meelo?_ she thought dumbly.  Before her brain could come up with a sensible answer, four soldiers went running past her, in hot pursuit of the screaming air bender.  One of the soldiers must have caught her from the corner of her eye, because the woman turned on Asami in a flash.  Asami sprang into action, rolling out of the way as the soldier’s metal plates lashed out at her.  The metal pieces sliced into the capacitor bank, knocking at least four capacitors loose and crushing other components in their wake.  Electricity arced across the electrical board mere inches from where Asami had just been standing.

 _She’s going to kill us all_ , Asami thought grimly as she came out of her roll with the flare gun in hand.  The airship lurched, but not before Asami got off a lucky shot that hit the soldier square in the chest.  The round propelled the guard backward, slamming her head against a bulwark and knocking her unconscious.  Everything slid to one side and Asami lunged for a railing to steady herself.

The crazy tilt of the airship forced the soldiers to break off their pursuit of Meelo as they fought to keep their footing.  Airborne as he was, the young air bender needed no such time to compensate and he turned on the soldiers instantly, launching a whirlwind that sent the soldiers cartwheeling across the room.  He landed clumsily on the deck by Asami, gripping the railing next to her.

“Hi…Asami…” he panted out heavily.

“Meelo, what are you doing here?”  demanded Asami.

“I’m…here…to…rescue you,” he gasped out between sharp gulps of breath.

“I see that,” Asami said sardonically.  “Meelo, we have to get out of here.  Now.  That soldier damaged the engines too much and we’re going to crash.”

“Well, what are you waiting for then?!” Meelo shouted, suddenly able to breathe much better with the threat of imminent doom looming.

Asami couldn’t help but grin at Meelo’s antics.  She ruffled his hair.  “Follow me.  There’s a hangar on the lower deck with parachutes.  We’ll have to jump out there.  We’re too high up for you to carry me, even in a controlled glide.”

“I can do it!” he insisted.

“I know you would try,” answered Asami warmly.  “But let’s keep that as plan B for now.”

She began the rough path to the hangar, the angled deck making for difficult walking.  She prayed that they wouldn’t encounter other soldiers on their way.  Fighting on this terrain was going to be next to impossible.  Luck was on their side, though, and they made the arduous haul to the hangar without incident.

Asami jammed the button to open the bay doors on her way to one of the lockers that held parachutes.  They swung wide behind her as she strapped into the contraption, checking to see if the harness was snug.  Meelo danced in nervous anticipation beside her, urging her to hurry as the airship rattled and shuddered. 

“Almost done,” she reassured him, shouting to be heard.

She spun, ready to launch herself and Meelo out of the hangar, but the sight before her brought her up short.  Meelo, bound round his arms and chest with metal cords and suspended in the air, squirmed and thrashed about, while the nameless officer held him tight.

“You’re not leaving yet, Ms. Sato,” he growled.

She chanced a glance out the doors.  They were still over Republic City and dropping quickly.  Vines sprawling across the ground and a green-yellow glow around the edges of the hangar doors told her that they were near the new spirit portal.  She had to do whatever was necessary to get Meelo out of here immediately, before it was too late.

“Let the boy go, and I’ll go willingly,” she said loudly.  She stepped away from the open doors as a show of good faith, hoping the officer wouldn’t notice that she was also edging closer to a work bench along the wall.

“That’s far enough, Ms. Sato.  No, you and the boy are both coming with me.”

Asami laughed a humorless laugh.  “Look around you.  Where are we going to go?  If we don’t leave now, we all die.”

“So be it,” snarled the officer.  “Better to wound the Avatar, than let you go free.”

Asami could feel an invisible clock ticking in her head, urging her to leave, but she stayed glued to her spot.  She couldn’t – she wouldn’t – leave Meelo.  She wracked her brain looking for a solution.   _Think, Sato!_

The airship gave a sudden heave, tossing all three of them around.  The officer struggled to maintain his footing.  Several explosions shook the ship’s frame hard.  It sounded like they came from the direction of the engine room.  Asami thought that the electrical short at the capacitor bank must have started a chain reaction in the ship’s systems.  They had even less time than she’d hoped.  With the officer’s attention temporarily diverted from her, Asami stumbled toward the work bench.  As if her earlier wish had been heard by some unseen force, a plasma cutter skittered across the surface near her.  She grabbed it in her left and swung around with the flare gun in her right.

Even wrapped in metal tendrils Meelo fought back, kicking out at the officer and landing several blows to his shins and feet.  Already off balance, the officer buckled to his knees under the onslaught.  Asami fired the flare gun straight at his face, missing him by mere inches, but it was enough for the man to scream and collapse backward.  Dropping the gun, Asami palmed the cutter and slashed through the metal cords holding Meelo.  With the metal bender’s concentration slipping and the tension on the wires cut, they slid harmlessly away.

Another explosion sounded, much closer than the last.  Asami yanked on the collar of Meelo’s suit, half carrying, half dragging him toward the bay doors.  She was about to leap with Meelo in hand, when hard metal trapped her foot.  A harsh laugh rang out behind her.

“I told you, you’re not going anywhere,” said the officer, as he sat up.

Asami looked into Meelo’s eyes.  She breathed out.  And then she shoved him over the edge, throwing him out as far as she could.

“Meelo, go!” she shouted.

The boy dropped through the air for a moment, shock filling his wide eyes.  Asami thought she saw him shake his head and mouth something that looked a lot like a ‘no’.  Then, instinct kicked in and he spread his arms wide, the wind catching the folds of his glider suit.  It snapped him up and away, out of sight.

Relief flooded her as the air bender disappeared.  At least he would get away unharmed.  Viciously she twisted to face the officer, her foot still wedged tightly in its metal sheath.

“You’re insane,” she hissed.

“No, just dedicated to the cause,” he retorted.

She fumbled for her tool bag.  Another explosion caused the floor to buckle barely twenty feet from them.  The officer turned toward the sound, momentarily distracted by the gouts of fire pouring out of the passage way that led back to the engine room.  Asami hefted the heaviest tool in the bag, a simple wrench, and chucked it as hard as she could.  The wrench found its mark, slamming into the soldier’s temple and rendering him a boneless mass on the floor.

“Crazy son of a hog monkey,” she muttered.

Scooping up the plasma torch, Asami frantically cut at the plates of metal holding her foot.  The airship was losing altitude so quickly she could feel the drop in the pit of her stomach.  The ship rolled so far sideways that she clung to the edge of the hangar opening with one hand while she worked.  Finally, the metal gave way and she hauled herself up over the edge and tossed herself into the open air.

The ground rushed up to meet her at a frightening rate.  Even as she deployed her chute she wondered if it would be enough to save her.  The chute jerked and her descent slowed.  She looked hopefully at the vines below and took in the spirit portal only a few hundred feet away.

A roar behind her was all the warning Asami got before shrapnel flashed past her.  She felt a piece of hot metal slice her cheek and a sharp pain stabbed into her side.  Worse than that, several large gashes opened in her chute, the wind whistling eerily through the almost useless piece of fabric.  She began to drop sharply again.

 _This is it_ , thought Asami dully as the pain in her side spread.   _I just can’t catch a break today, can I?_  The warmth inside her body bled out onto her skin.  Her vision clouded and her head lolled forward.

Blue eyes appeared in front of her mind’s eye. _I’m sorry, Korra._

Everything went dark.  The wind screamed in her ears, or was that her heartbeat?  She could feel herself losing consciousness.  She was vaguely aware of a hard jerk and wondered if she had hit the ground yet.

Then, Asami slipped away completely.

***

Meelo yelled as he fell through the air.  “No, Asami!  NOOOOOO!”

He watched her figure shrinking as he dropped away from the airship.  He couldn’t believe what had just happened.  She had thrown him – him, Meelo! – out the hangar door.  What was she thinking?  Honestly?!

A quick movement of his arms and his wings caught him and he peeled away from the airship.  He banked around, trying to return to the belly of the ship, which, much to his alarm, was turning into the side as the ship rolled in midair.  Multiple explosions ruptured the hull, making a close approach impossible.  He circled again, trying a new angle, but the spires of flames and smoke forced him back a second time.  He could barely make out the hangar entrance.

A sudden updraft sent him spiraling sideways.  For a few seconds he fought for control, bending the currents underneath him until he leveled out.  By the time he righted himself, flames poured from the hangar.  Meelo gasped, a hard knot forming in his stomach.

The air split with a great rending of metal as the airship’s last engine gave out.  With no rotors moving, the ship plummeted from the air with terrifying speed.  Meelo raced after it, diving toward the hangar doors.  Panic bubbled up in his throat.  His mind kept repeating over and over… _get Asami…get Asami…get Asami…_

But it was too late.  The airship drove into the vine covered ground with a thunderous crash, the earth beneath it rippling with the impact.  Great waves of dirt, fragments of vine, and chunks of metal sprayed up into the air.

Meelo drifted listlessly over the twisted, burning wreckage, his mind numb at the sight.  His brain refused to believe the evidence before his eyes.  It was simply impossible.  Asami had to be alright.  He hadn’t even given her the flowers from Korra yet.  She couldn’t just disappear like that.

But as he watched the remnants of the airship smolder, the truth forced its way into his reluctant mind.  His heart clenched painfully in his chest, more painfully than he’d ever felt anything before.

Asami was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: For those who might actually be worried - no, I did not kill Asami. Otherwise, I would tag that shit.


	3. Chapter 3

Pema knew something was wrong the moment she saw Meelo’s silhouette descending into the main courtyard of Air Temple Island.

“Tenzin!” she gasped, gripping her husband’s forearm tightly.

Meelo’s flight wavered and faltered as he came in for a landing, and only a quick shot of air from Tenzin’s hand kept the boy from making that landing on his face.  Pema and Tenzin rushed toward their son as Meelo collapsed on the ground.  Pema’s heart leapt into her throat.  As they got closer she could see that her son was covered in soot and dirt.  As he lifted his head to look at them, the only clean spot on his face were the twin tear tracks lining his cheeks.

“Meelo!” she cried, crashing to her knees beside her son, her hands and eyes roving over him searching for injuries.  “Are you hurt?!”

Meelo’s eyes filled with tears, but he shook his head fiercely.

“What happened, son?” Tenzin asked, urgent concern filling his deep voice.  He gently placed a hand on Meelo’s shoulder.

Meelo’s lip quivered.  Pema’s anxiety doubled.  She had never seen her son so distraught.

“Meelo?” she prodded gently.

Pema watched Meelo break like a crumbling dam.  Tears and words flooded out of him in one messy, tumbling torrent, interrupted only by hiccupping sobs.  “I – I was supposed to – to deliver flowers to – A-a-asami – but there were soldiers – and they took her – I t-t-tried to stop them – I tried! – and she pushed me out of the hangar – but the s-s-ship crashed – and I – I couldn’t save her!”

The blood in Pema’s veins ran cold as her sons last words faded into incoherent sobs.  She held him tight to her chest and rocked him back and forth, as she had done so many years ago when he was a babe.  Her heart broke twice, once for her son, and again for Asami.  That pain reflected back to her in Tenzin’s ashen face and wide, troubled eyes.  They held each other’s gaze silently for a long moment, seeking what little comfort they could find in each other.

Finally she spoke, her voice hoarse.

“You should go find Korra.”

***

The rhythmic rush of air in Asami’s ears dragged her back to consciousness.  Her body felt numb all over, heavy and distant.  Her senses were muddled and her mind responded sluggishly. _How long have I been falling?_ she wondered groggily.  It took her a long minute to realize that though she was airborne, she wasn’t falling at all.

With tremendous effort she managed to open her eyes slightly.  Her vision swam for a moment, and darkness was all she could see.  But there was light too.  As her eyes slowly focused what she had first perceived as darkness resolved itself into large black feathers.  She twisted her head around with agonizing difficulty, trying to take more in.  Large talons held her firmly but gently, cradling her as the ground slid by below.  The terrain didn’t look familiar.  The rhythm that had awakened her was the steady beats of enormous wings propelling the beast, and by extension her, through the air.

Some tiny part of her was alarmed by the unexpected situation and it called to her to wake up, run, fight back, but she couldn’t summon near enough energy to even contemplate anything but the simplest of actions.   _Of course, I couldn’t just die like a normal person falling out of an airship_ _,_ she thought wryly, _I’m going to be eaten by a giant bird instead.  It makes perfect sense._  She also considered that she might be completely delirious.

A tickle in her throat forced a cough out of her.  Sharp pain seared up her side and she hissed through gritted teeth. _Not delirious enough to avoid the pain apparently._

“You should sleep more, little one,” a deep voice above her head said.  “You were seriously injured.”

Asami’s head lolled back as she attempted to locate the source of the voice.  A huge pair of golden eyes, separated by a thick hooked beak, blinked back at her, though upside down at this angle. _And now the bird is talking to me._

Asami’s lips moved as she tried to form questions, but her voice refused to obey.  She was tired, so tired.  She vaguely wondered if she should be scared of the giant talking bird thing, but the eyes staring back at her seemed so kind.  She smiled weakly.

“Sleep,” the creature insisted.  “There will be time for questions later.”

The face moved closer to Asami as her eyes began to flutter shut.  The massive bill could have bitten her in half, but instead it touched her ever so tenderly – barely a whisper – on her forehead over her third eye.  There was a soothing flash of soft white light and Asami slumbered.

***

With a show of air bending power and skill that she’d rarely exhibited before, Korra pushed her glider to the edge of its limits as she raced to downtown Republic City.  With fierce denial, she refused to believe half of Meelo’s garbled story until she saw it for herself, but the thick, oily column of smoke rising near the spirit portal had her stomach twisting in painful knots.  Letting out a frustrated growl, she added an extra burst of speed with some fire bending from her feet.  The glider’s frame bowed and vibrated dangerously, but she ignored it.  Korra’s only thoughts were focused on getting there as soon as possible.

After what seemed to be an eternity, but really was a matter of minutes, Korra landed hard on the pavement near the crash site.  Police and fire teams already crawled over the vines toward the wreckage, the first line of fire and water benders forcing the flames back.  The blaze was huge and intense, and their progress slow.  Korra flung the glider away from her without a thought and scrambled over the vines quickly, rushing toward the inferno.  All she could think was Asami might be in there somewhere.

“Korra, no!” someone shouted behind her.

She pressed forward, holding up her hand to shield her eyes from the heat and light.  She hardly knew or cared what she was doing.  Her skin began to prickle in warning that she was moving too close, sweat poured down her body.  With a swipe of her palm she split a path through the flames, but all she could see was more flames ahead.  She grit her teeth and took a few more steps.

Suddenly, a metal cord snagged her around her waist and she was yanked forcefully back.  She yelled in surprise and fury as her back hit the ground.  Running feet skidded to a halt next to her.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?!” barked Police Chief Lin Beifong.  “The flames are too hot, even for the Avatar.  You’d be incinerated before you even made it halfway through the wreckage.”

“Asami’s in there,” Korra shouted back.

Lin’s naturally pale face grew even paler and her eyes seemed to soften, but the firm set of her thin lips stayed the same.  She shook her head slowly.  “I’m sorry, but if Asami truly was in there, there’s no way she survived.”

“Don’t say that!” yelled Korra, bouncing back to her feet.  Hot tears of anger and pain welled up into her eyes, but she brushed them away with a furious swipe of her hand.  “You don’t know that!”

“Korra, you need to get a hold of yourself.  We’ve got lots of people on this.  We’ll –“

Korra didn’t hear Lin’s words as she charged forward again.  Asami was alright.  Korra was going to find her and she was going to be OK.  She had to be OK.

Before she got more than a few feet this time, Lin snatched her back, the wire slamming her into the ground much harder than before.  Korra snarled in outrage, springing to her feet almost instantly, only to be knocked down again by a sharp blow to the chest from Lin’s other wire.

“Damn it, kid, you are not going in there, even if I have to knock you out and tie you up!” bellowed Lin.

“I’d like to see you try,” Korra snapped back.

Still on the ground the Avatar slammed her palm onto the ground, causing the earth beneath Lin’s feet to jump.  The police chief was too experienced to be swayed, but it distracted her just enough that she didn’t see the blast of air Korra launched her way.  Lin stumbled back, but didn’t fall, grounding her feet into the earth.  Korra was inside her space in less than a breath, swinging at her with a flaming right hook.  She could feel the rage burning under her skin.

But it wasn’t Lin who blocked the blow.

Someone tackled her from behind, wrapping both arms around Korra in a tight bear hug and whispering fiercely in her ear.  “Stop it, Korra.  Please.  Stop.  Please, for me, for Asami.”

Even as she struggled, Korra recognized the voice.  Mako’s words pierced the haze warping her mind, and with one last scream of impotent fury, Korra slumped forward.  He held her snugly as he settled her to the ground.  Her body shook and though she’d never in a million years admit it, she was glad that he held her up.  She felt suddenly cold inside, and her legs threatened to give out.  She turned in his arms, hiding her face in his shoulder.  He hugged her close.

“Hey, it’s OK,” he murmured softly.

Korra’s heart clenched in her chest.  It didn’t feel OK.  “Asami…”

She couldn’t finish the sentence, her throat closing tight around the words.  This couldn’t be happening.

“We don’t know for sure that Asami was on board that thing when it went down.  You know how resourceful she is.  I bet she made it out with time to spare,” Mako said, his voice resonating with confidence.  Korra wondered if he really felt that way or if he was simply trying to soothe her.  Either way, it had the opposite effect.

Giving him a sour look, Korra placed both hands on his chest and forced him away with a firm shove.  “Then where is she?”

“I don’t know, Korra, but we’ll find her,” said Mako, giving voice to her own desperate thought from a minute ago.

“I can’t just sit here and wait to find out,” she bit out in frustration.  She stomped a few feet away, spun around and plopped roughly down onto one of the many vines.  She smacked the vine with one hand for good measure.  The woody vine felt solid and real under her hand, the cool bark chaffing her skin.  She rubbed it unconsciously, using the smooth texture to anchor her in a world that seemed to be spinning into madness.

A thought struck her and she stopped abruptly, staring at her hand and the vine underneath.  She was filled with a surge of excitement.

“I know how to find her!” she shouted to Mako.

“What?”  Mako looked confused.

“The vines, Mako.  Think!  Remember how I found Wu?  I can find her!”

Korra whipped around, kneeling in front of the vine and placing both hands on it.  She shut her eyes and took a few steadying breaths, clearing her mind and reaching out.  Her spirit connected with the essence of the vines, racing out along them, touching everything they touched.  Her awareness carried out in wider and wider circles.  Korra frowned as the sensation stretched out to the edges of Republic City and then beyond.  Where was Asami?  She pressed further, steeling her concentration as she searched in ever broader arcs.  Her awareness radiated out, brushing against many living beings, but none had the distinct feeling of Asami.  She drew in the energy of the vines, of the earth below her, of the air filling her lungs.  With one last gasp the circles closed, wrapping around the entire world.  But Asami was nowhere to be found.

Korra fell back onto her butt.  If she’d been cold before, she was frozen now.  She drew her knees up to her chest while staring at her hands.  They were strong hands.  They were worthless hands.  She couldn’t quite get enough air in her lungs.  There was a ringing in her ears.  Someone was talking to her, but she couldn’t make out the words.  A hand landed on her shoulder.  She barely registered it.  Her eyes moved slightly, her gaze becoming fixed on the vine, but not really seeing it.

Something big and black and ugly was opening in her chest, a chasm she was certain she could never close.  She felt hollow, her mind blank.  But then, even darker things filled the empty places inside her.  Raw and immense and devastating, they bubbled up like a volcano about to explode.  They forced their way past her lungs, scorching her throat.  She couldn’t stop them.  Korra threw her head back and let them escape into the smoky air.

***

The brief, keening wail was different than any sound Lin Beifong had ever heard in her long years on the job, yet it was exactly the same too.  It was the sobs of a family when she had to tell them that a loved one had been murdered by some street thug.  It was the howl of an injured animal dragging its broken limb behind it.  It was the cry of a baby abandoned by parents that can’t or won’t ever hold it close again.  In short, it was the sound of a heart splitting in two.  It was hope dying.  It was a sound that Lin never got used to and always hated to hear, no matter how often she’d heard it before.

She’d left Mako and the Avatar alone for scarcely five minutes, half to give Korra space, half to cool herself off after their little tousle.  When she’d gone the Avatar seemed pretty entrenched in her denial.   _What the hell changed so fast?_ she thought gruffly, but deeper down her heart tapped out an aching beat in her chest.   She’d taken a liking to the Sato kid, despite her idiot father, and she knew Korra had a thing for her besides.  The whole situation was a terrible, screwed up mess.  Lin wasn’t the praying kind, but she sure hoped for both their sakes that Asami wasn’t on that airship when it hit the ground.

One more quick look around assured her that her force had things under control.  A few living Earth Empire soldiers who’d been lucky enough to bail before the ship went down had been scooped up before they could escape.  The perimeter had been secured, and now all she could do was wait until the fire crews got the inferno put out.  Then, the real police work would start.  But for now she would do her best to care for the forlorn Avatar.

She pivoted on her heel just in time to watch Mako tossed through the hazy air like a rag doll, landing a good twenty feet away.  White-blue light, nearly blinding in its radiance, streamed from where Korra should have been.  Lin’s eyes bulged with astonishment and, if she was ever honest about it, a tiny touch of fear.  Korra in the Avatar state was the last thing anyone needed right now, including the Avatar herself.  If Lin couldn’t do something fast, this mess was about to get a whole lot bigger.

Eyes glowing, Korra rose in a whirlwind of dust and smoke.  The ground shook violently, and chunks of rock flew up, orbiting the Avatar like malevolent moons.  As Korra’s gaze swept around her, Lin crouched as best she could behind a vine, trying not to draw Korra’s attention.  She doubted the Avatar was feeling particularly friendly about their earlier encounter.  She could see the Avatar scanning the area, as if searching for something.

 _She’s angry and hurting, and she wants to hit something hard, but she doesn’t know what._  It was a scary thought.

Korra’s eyes locked onto something in the distance.  Lin followed her line of sight, and her stomach dropped.  The prisoners.  The Avatar scowled, sharp lines of anger etching her face.  Her hands curled into fists, the muscles in her arms tensing.  Lin groped for solutions.  There wasn’t going to be a damn massacre on her watch.

As Korra turned more fully to face the prisoners, Lin saw her chance.  She hoped that Korra’s fixation would keep her distracted long enough.  Planting her feet squarely on the ground, Lin bent a massive rock from ground.  She took a deep, steady breath.  Then, she launched the rock square at the back of Korra’s head.  She hoped it would be enough to knock her out.  She hoped it wouldn’t be too much and kill her.   _Oh Spirits, let this work!_

Maybe she was the praying kind after all. **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: I want to thank the best beta in the world - my wife - who reads everything I write. Since I edit again after she edits, any errors are most definitely mine.


	4. Chapter 4

Yawning and stretching to clear the sleep from his mind, Bolin met his brother’s eyes as he approached Mako.  He gave Mako a hesitant, sad smile.  “How is she?”

Mako scowled, rage and frustration flaring up in his eyes.  Bolin startled back as his brother took an ominous step forward.  “How the hell do you think she is?!  She’s the same as she was the last twenty times you’ve asked!  She’s not eating, she’s not sleeping, and she’s still not speaking.  OK?!”

Bolin held his hands up in shocked submission.  “Whoa, bro, I’m sorry.  It was just a question.”

The fight seemed to bleed out of Mako as quickly as it had come on.  Bolin eyed his brother worriedly as Mako’s shoulders fell and he slumped against the wall of the hallway.  Folding his arms in around himself, Mako rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a heavy sigh.  The silence in the corridor surrounded them, somber and oppressive.  Bolin waited, knowing Mako needed a moment.

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Bo.  I know you’re just worried about her,” Mako finally said.  He glanced down the hallway, his eyes lingering gloomily on the closed door at the end.  “We all are.  I wish she would just talk to us.”

Bolin nodded his agreement, though if it had been Opal in that airship he wasn’t sure he’d be much better off than Korra.  Probably he’d be worse.  He doubted he could talk about it.  Yet, Korra’s silence worried him something fierce.  It was sharp and absolute.  She hadn’t uttered one word in range of anyone’s hearing since she’d gained consciousness three days ago.  He knew that because he’d asked literally _everyone_ who’d had any contact with her.  She had woken up a few hours after Lin had conked her one with a rock, but ever since she’d been nearly unresponsive.  If you were lucky, you might get a shake of the head or a shrug.  She wouldn’t even let Naga or Pabu into the room with her.  The polar bear dog lay morosely near the Avatar’s room, her head tucked between her two paws, her eyes fixed on the door as if it would magically open.  Bolin hoped it would just take time.  But then again, when Korra had been quiet like this before, she’d also disappeared for three years, and he wasn’t about to let that happen again.

Bolin looked at his brother.  Really looked at him.  Dark smudges and hollow cheeks told him that Mako hadn’t been sleeping or eating much better than the Avatar lately.  His amber eyes looked glazed and a little lost.  They’d all been so worried about how Korra was, nobody really had taken time to process the fact that Asami was gone.  Like, really gone.  Bolin had just seen Asami at Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding, dancing up a storm and laughing with Korra.  It felt like yesterday and now he wasn’t ever going to see her again.

 _Don’t cry, don’t cry._   Bolin cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck, scuffing the tip of his boot on the floor.  “So, how are you?”

Mako fixed him with a look that said it all.  Asami, their friend, one quarter of their team, just wasn’t there anymore.  It left a gaping hole that no one knew how to deal with.  The loss showed in Mako’s listless eyes.  _Oh Spirits, I’m going to cry._

Bolin flung himself at his brother, bawling like a newborn baby.  Mako patted him on the back awkwardly, causing Bolin to blubber harder. He let out a plaintive cry.  “Oh god, Asami, why?!”

Bolin’s outburst triggered something in his brother.  He felt Mako stiffen then sag as he broke down too, weeping into Bolin’s shoulder.  Mako’s grip on him tightened painfully as they shared their grief.  They hadn’t cried like this since their parents died.   Each anguished outpouring hurt, but there was also a sense of relief too.

Their moment was cut short when Lin Beifong rounded the corner, causing the brothers to jump apart.  Mako rubbed at his eyes, trying furiously to swipe away the tears.  Bolin didn’t bother, letting them run freely down his face and sniffling loudly.  He always wondered why Mako felt the need to cover up his emotions like that.  Maybe it was the older brother thing.

“Hey, Chief,” mumbled Mako, standing up a little straighter.

“Hey, Mako,” Lin replied, her gravelly voice level.  The police chief motioned with her head down the hallway.  “So, how’s she doing?”

Bolin couldn’t help himself.  He burst into a fresh bout of tears, openly wailing as he pushed past Lin.

“Why does everyone keep asking that?!” he shouted as he ran.

Lin watched him go in astonishment.  “What’s up with him?”

Mako shrugged.

***

Hands laced behind her head, Korra stared at the ceiling.  She laid still, her body unmoving, a sharp contrast to the storm of emotions raging inside of her.  Hours blended together, days bleeding one into the other without separation save the quality of light or lack of it through her window.  Her mind unraveled and parsed everything that had happened, laboring to re-stitch it back together in a way that made sense.  She simply couldn’t believe that Asami wasn’t here.  Half of her expected one of Tenzin’s kids to come romping into her room at any moment, yelling that Asami was on the radio or the phone and wanted to speak to her.  If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough, she could almost make it real.

The other half of her huddled inside of her body like a wounded animal, cowering and whimpering in the corner.  Every time she tried to wrap her mind around the loss, to touch the space where Asami should have been, that half shrank back, howling in pain.

She hadn’t even told Asami that she loved her.  She was so fixated on taking things easy, wanting everything to be perfect.  She thought she’d have time.  Who wouldn’t?  They’d only been together twenty-two days, twelve days in the Spirit World and another ten back in the material world.  Though Korra knew that wasn’t the whole truth.  They’d been nearly three and a half years in the making.  Korra had felt the first stirrings of love and admiration for Asami way back when the engineer saved their sorry butts in the desert.  Or had it been before, when Asami grinned at her while she tossed Mako around for fun while recruiting new air benders?  She wasn’t sure.  There was no finite beginning, no clear demarcation to point at and say, _yes, this is when I fell in love._   But there was no denying she was in love.  And it was tearing her to pieces.

Hot, silent tears poured down the sides of her face, soaking her temples and dampening her hair.  Down the hall, she heard indistinct shouting.  She thought she heard Mako, then a few minutes later it sounded like Bolin was there too.  She rolled over, face to the wall, curling herself into a ball.  She knew they meant well, but she couldn’t face them, couldn’t face anybody.  Part of her didn’t think she deserved their comfort.

She’d let Asami down.  If only she’d delivered the flowers herself.  She knew Meelo fought like a rabid badger mole caught in a corner, but he was still just a boy.  She couldn’t lay this on him.  If only she’d been there instead, Asami would be alive.  Oh, she knew what the others would say – that it wasn’t her fault or that Asami wouldn’t want her blaming herself.  But she was the Avatar, damn it!  If only she’d done her job, instead of making googly eyes at Asami, she would have noticed the remnants of Kuvira’s army that still resisted their general’s surrender.  She could have cleaned up after herself, neutralizing them before they became a threat.  She should have found a way to stop them.

If only…if only…

Something in her snapped.  Cold rage flooded her veins, chasing away the misery in her like the shock of an ice bath.  She felt the Avatar state flicker inside of her, but this time she was ready to stop it.  She didn’t need it.  No, for what she planned to do, she needed to be hard as steel and cold as ice, total control.

Korra sprang from bed, energized with new, grim purpose.  She tottered only slightly as her barely used muscles adjusted to their new position.  She flexed her hands and squared her shoulders as she strode across the room.  She threw the door open, the slide hitting the frame with a loud crack.

Naga perked up at the sight of her, head raised and tail thumping the wooden floor excitedly.  The polar bear dog yipped in greeting.  Korra didn’t smile, patting the dog absent-mindedly as she passed by.  Naga whined in disappointment.  At the end of the hall, Mako and Lin swung around to stare at her as if seeing a ghost.  Korra zeroed in on Lin, and the normally unflappable woman eyed her warily as she approached.

“Korra.  Good to see you up,” said the police chief tersely.  “Sorry about the head.”

Korra waved the apology away curtly.  “Not a problem.  But I do need a favor.”

Lin considered her with a shrewd, measured look.  Beside her, Mako’s eyes darted between the two women.  Korra didn’t even acknowledge his presence.  “And what favor would that be?”

“I need to see Kuvira as soon as humanly possible.”

Mako’s jaw dropped and even Lin looked a bit nonplussed by her words.  Korra cracked her knuckles ominously.

“Korra, no way.  That’s just not a good idea right now,” Lin said quietly, meeting her eyes.  The refusal sounded as soft as Lin’s voice ever got, but Korra was not going to accept it.

“That wasn’t actually a request by the way.  Either you get me in to see Kuvira or I’m getting in myself.  It’s your choice.”

Anger flashed in Lin’s eyes, the muscles in her jaw jerking.  She looked fit to spit nails.  Mako gaped at her.  He opened his mouth as if to speak, but Korra cut him off with a sharp motion of her hand, never taking her eyes from Lin’s.  The older woman glared at her, and Korra glowered right back.  Lin crossed her arms across her chest.

“Fine, on one condition,” the chief finally answered, holding up a slender finger.

“What’s that?”

“I go with you.  And that’s not a request either.”

Korra considered refusing, but she could adapt her plan and Lin was her easiest way to get to Kuvira.  “Alright.”

“Give me an hour to arrange it,” Lin said curtly, sharply turning on her heel and walking away, not bothering with goodbyes.

Behind her, Korra thought she heard something move.  The hairs on her neck stood on end when she heard the faint clink of chain links on one another.  She spun, but there was nothing there except Naga giving her a desperate dog pout.

“Are you OK?” asked Mako, his voice full of concern.

Korra shook her head, trying to shrug off the uneasy sensation.  She replied while still watching the hall.  “Yeah, I’m fine.”   

***

The first and only fact that Asami was certain of when she awoke was that everything hurt.  There was an entire palette of familiar pains as well as a smattering of new, fresh, and interesting kinds of pain that she’d never experienced before – dull aching pain, sharp piercing pain, annoyingly prickly pain, stiff joint pain, even the oh-my-god-how-long-has-it-been-since-I-peed pain.  Without opening her eyes just yet, she began to inventory her body parts, diagnosing and judging each source of pain.  She wiggled her fingers and toes and flexed muscles slightly, confirming that all limbs were still attached and in relative working order.  The aching in her head and the rawness of her throat seemed to be a byproduct of dehydration and smoke inhalation, the itchy burning on her cheek from the piece of shrapnel that had sliced her.  The stiffness in her body indicated that she’d probably been laid up for a while, though she had no idea how long.  And well, the ache in her bladder was just obvious.  The only thing that alarmed her was the sticky, sharp pain in her side that radiated out every time she even so much as took a breath.  That appeared to be a bit more serious than any of the other myriad hurts.  From what she could recall, she assumed that a piece of shrapnel had hit her side too, and by the feel of it, the wound was deep, open, and perhaps still a bit bloody.  Someone had bandaged the injury, but it felt raw underneath the gauze.

In conducting her assessment, another fact became readily apparent.  She was also almost completely naked, with nothing left but her bra and panties.  She was on a mattress of some sort.  A light covering, perhaps a soft blanket, draped over her.  Who…how…?  Her mind groggily tried searching out the answers.  A flood of memories abruptly poured into her mind.  _Falling, wings, a bird, oh spirits, a giant talking bird_ …

Asami’s eyes flew open.  She flailed, trying to sit up, but her side protested, her unused muscles cramped, and her legs tangled in the blanket.  Instead of leaping from the mattress, she found herself on the side of her face on a gritty wooden floor next to the bed, her limbs splayed awkwardly around her.

She coughed, dust blowing out in tiny clouds from her mouth.  “Ow.”

“Oh good, you’re awake,” said a voice somewhere above Asami’s head.  At her current angle, she could just make out a pair of sandals on large, squat feet a few paces from her head.  The voice was old, male, and comforting, with a hint of joviality.  “Let me help you up.” 

Strong hands lifted her gently from the floor and righted her.  She glanced up at her savior as he set her on the edge of the bed and gasped.  Smiling back at her was the round, kindly features of General Iroh.  The deceased General Iroh.  Whom Korra had introduced her to only a couple short weeks ago.

“I’m in the Spirit World,” she said bluntly, her voice a hoarse croak.

“Korra did mention you were a sharp one,” chuckled Iroh as he made sure she was steadily seated on the bed, before turning to retrieve something behind him.  When he turned back he held a small cup of steaming liquid out to her.  “Of course, that much was obvious as soon as I met you.  Here, drink this.  It will help with the pain.”

Dumbly she took the proffered cup and sipped it.  She puckered her mouth and made a sour face as the acrid fluid poured down her throat.

Iroh chuckled again.  “I know it’s not the best.  I’d much rather offer you a better tea, but none of my others will do the job quite like this.”

More reluctantly this time, Asami took another swig.  The second swallow wasn’t quite as bad as the first.  She noticed that in her haste, the blanket had fallen down around her waist.  She flushed.  With as much dignity as she could muster with a wounded body and a teacup in one hand, she pulled the blanket up around her shoulders.  If Iroh noticed, he made no remark, seemingly content with bustling around the room doing little tasks.

After she had drained half the cup, she cleared her throat.  Remarkably, the rawness had largely subsided, along with many of the other aches in her body.  She cleared her throat again, and asked a question to Iroh’s busy backside.  “How did I get here?”

He turned to her, his expression a bit somber.  “Juniao brought you here.  He said he saved you from a great fireball in the sky near the spirit portal.  He recognized you as the one Korra brought to our world before.  You were gravely injured.”

“I guess it was a lucky coincidence that Juniao was nearby,” remarked Asami, “very lucky for me.”

“Not at all,” replied Iroh.  Asami frowned at him in confusion.  “Coincidence, I mean.  Juniao had been agitated all that morning.  He rarely goes near the spirit portal, let alone through it.  But that morning, nothing could stop him.  He must have sensed that he was needed.”

Asami didn’t know what to make of this.  People lived and died all the time without causing much of a stir in the Spirit World.  What could make her so different?

“I didn’t think most spirits meddled in the affairs of humans,” Asami said.  It wasn’t a bitter statement.  She was just curious.

“Normally, they don’t,” replied Iroh, “but you are a good friend to the Avatar, and that means something to many of the spirits.”

“I see,” said Asami quietly.  Korra had revolutionized the relationship between spirits and humans, but it was still a surprise to hear of those, spirit or human, who favored the changes.  Korra was still haunted by her decision to bring the worlds back into contact with one another, despite Asami’s and others’ reassurance that it was for the best.  Now, Korra’s efforts had saved her life. 

She sat silently for a few long minutes, finishing her tea, while Iroh continued to putter around the room, humming to himself.  She had a hundred questions, but her body and mind needed time to adjust and absorb all that she’d been told already.  When she emptied the cup, she held it in her lap.  “Thank you for caring for me.  I wouldn’t have made it without you and Juniao.”

“It was no bother.  It would be a shame to lose such a talented pai sho player,” Iroh joked lightly.  Asami smiled slightly at this, remembering fondly the day that Korra had let her amuse herself playing the game with Iroh.  Asami could tell that Korra had been bored out of her skull, but she had kept it to herself, letting Asami have her fun.

The memories produced a flood of emotion in Asami.  Korra must be worried sick.  Asami missed her fiercely and she anxiously wanted to see her.

“How long have I been here?”  Asami asked.

Scratching his chin and squinting his eyes as if making mental calculations, Iroh responded, “Well, time in the material world is hard to gauge here, but my best guess is three days.”

“Three days!” Asami burst out.  She jumped to her feet.  She still hurt and her muscles still creaked, but she stayed standing this time.  “I have to go.”

“I don’t think that is a very good idea.  Your side is in bad shape.  I removed the metal and managed to keep it from being infected, but you’ll need to heal more before you go anywhere,” said Iroh firmly, his eyes dark with worry.

Asami wanted to argue, but the rush of nausea in her gut and the stabbing pain in her side made her suspect that Iroh was unfortunately correct.  She was, however, overcome by another, more pressing sensation.

“OK,” she agreed quickly, “but I really need to go-“

“I must insist you stay-”

“-to the bathroom,” she finished blurting out.  She felt herself turn beet red, but the pressure in her bladder was so overwhelming she didn’t care.

“Oh, in that case, down the hallway, second door on the right,” Iroh said congenially, motioning with his hand to the bedroom door.

As Asami mumbled a shame-faced thank you and pranced as fast as she could out the door, she did wonder what a spirit needed a bathroom for.  Then, she decided she really didn’t care.  She was just grateful that he did.

***

“Remember what I told you, and everything will be fine,” reassured Iroh as he patted Asami on the shoulder.

Asami swallowed thickly.  Her mouth felt like a desert.  Despite her support of Korra’s decision to unite the spirit and material worlds and despite their recent vacation to the Spirit World, her personal experience with the spirits was, in two words, woefully inadequate - especially to be begging favors from an ancient spirit of dubious temperament.  After her personal emergency had been resolved, Asami had returned to Iroh, insisting that she really needed to get back to the material world.  Iroh, in turn, maintained that she had to heal first.  They’d been at an impasse for almost fifteen minutes, with Iroh refusing to give Asami’s clothes back, until she’d finally thought to ask if there was anything that could speed up the healing process.  Now, here they were.

Asami repeated his instructions back to him.  “Be polite, don’t lie, don’t look her in the eyes, and above all don’t mention celery.”

The last directive seemed both the oddest rule and the easiest to follow.  _Honestly, what is the deal with celery?_   But when she was about to face a potentially vengeful spirit – alone – she wasn’t going to take anything for granted.

“Excellent.  You will do wonderfully,” said Iroh, grinning.  “Now, go.  I will wait here until you return.”

Asami nodded nervously and started to pick her way down the rocky path beyond Iroh indicated.  Below her, the path wound down into a deep bowl carved out of the forest, a deep royal blue pool reflecting spirit light at the bottom.  She moved slowly, her injury aggravated with each step.  She had donned her borrowed mechanics suit, the garment definitely worse for wear.  The outfit was covered with dirt and soot, the cloth on her injured side crisp and brittle with her own dried blood.  The suit chafed her wound and she winced repeatedly.  Eventually, she made it to the bottom and approached the edge of the pool, smooth round stones slipping and skittering under her unstable footing.

“Who approaches?” demanded a wavering voice from the water.

Asami dropped her head instantly, trying not to offend the pool’s guardian.  As respectfully as she could muster, she answered simply, “My name is Asami Sato.”

“A human?  How quaint.”  The voice held no small amount of condescension.  Something disturbed the surface of the water, ripples spreading out and lapping at the shore in little wavelets.  “And what brings you to my pool?”

“Please, I would like to be healed, if it would not bother you too much,” replied Asami, adding another anxious ‘please’ at the end.  Iroh had said this was the quickest way to heal her wounds, if - and only if - she could convince Haizhe, the guardian spirit of the sacred waters, to allow her to bathe.

“Typical,” snorted Haizhe, closer now than before.  Asami resisted the urge to look up, forcing herself to remain stock still.  A great rush of water rose in front of her and Asami sensed the massive amorphous form towering over her.  Internally, she cowered, not knowing whether she should submit or run.  Enemy soldiers were one thing, angry spirits were another beast entirely.  “All you humans think of is yourself.  And if I allow you to heal in my waters, what would you do then?  Hunt those who have hurt you in a never-ending circle of violence and bloodshed?”

Asami couldn’t say the thought hadn’t crossed her mind once or twice, but the crazy bastard most responsible for her condition probably lay at the bottom of a smoldering heap, and honestly she had more important things in mind.

“I want to go home, to the ones I love,” Asami said firmly.

“Don’t you mean the _one_ you love?”

“Her most of all,” admitted Asami quietly.

“The Avatar.”  It was not a question.

“Her name is Korra,” replied Asami, a hint of defiance accidentally slipping into her voice.  Yes, Korra was the Avatar, but she was so much more to Asami.  She was a real human, flesh and blood, with all her beauty and flaws and quirks.

“And would you like to know what your precious _Korra_ is capable of?” said the creature, its voice dropping to a low, terrible hiss.

Before Asami could reply, a thick tentacle wrapped around her chest and waist, lifting her high in the air.  The next second she was plunged deep into the pool.  Without thinking, she tried to scream, but the sound was forced back by the water pouring forcibly down her throat.  She panicked and thrashed, air bubbling from her open mouth as she clawed at the tentacle holding her.  Bright, painful light seared through her brain, and her eyes bugged out as she found _dozens_ of black, cold eyes staring back at her.  She tried not to look, to heed Iroh’s warning, but they were everywhere, boring into her.  Another tentacle shot out from the blue water, aimed straight at her head.  She awkwardly swiped at the appendage, but the lack of oxygen made her sluggish.  The tip of the tentacle pressed against her forehead and she felt the touch reach _into_ her.  Her mind shied away from the invasive pressure, no less real for not being physical.

 _Flash_.

Korra knelt before Asami.  She looked almost like Asami remembered, but the Avatar’s frame was bent over, face down and her arms tucked around her.  She was shaking.  Asami tried to reach out to Korra, to comfort her, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but watch.  Slowly, Korra leaned back.  Asami gasped.  Korra wasn’t crying.  She was laughing, a sickly, maniacal smirk on her face, her eyes dead.  Korra’s hands were covered with blood, violently red against her caramel skin.  Finally, Korra looked down at her hands and then the laughter did die away.   Then, Korra truly did start sobbing, fat rivulets streaming down her cheeks.  The Avatar’s chest heaved, and she screamed, a terribly bereft sound.  Asami could do nothing but stare in horror.

“This is what you are so eager to return to?  This pathetic wretch is who you choose to love?” mocked Haizhe, the spirit’s voice reaching straight into her mind, “When this could happen?” 

Asami’s consciousness wavered as the water filled her lungs, but her brain latched onto the spirit’s words.  She forced her thoughts to coalesce in one clear, coherent whole, hoping that the creature could read them.  _You said could, not would.  I can stop this.  I can help her._

“I hope you are right, human.”  The spirit’s chilling laughter filled every corner of Asami’s mind.

The tentacle tightened roughly around Asami’s chest and she was ripped from the water and flung onto the shore, rolling painfully over the stones.  She clambered to hands and knees, vomiting water and gulping down sweet lungfuls of air.  She instinctively clutched at her side, only to find that her wound was fully healed, the skin smooth as if it had never happened.  In fact, other than the ache in her chest from trying to breathe water, all of her hurts had disappeared.  Yet, her vision of Korra clouded her mind and pulled at her heart.  Something was terribly wrong and she had to save Korra.  Now.

Asami had nearly forgotten the guardian spirit altogether in her own brooding that she startled when Haizhe called out behind her, “By the way, what is your favorite vegetable?”

 _Don’t say celery, don’t lie…don’t lie and don’t say celery_ …  “Snow peas, why?”

Asami let out a nearly silent sigh of relief as she managed to come up with a least one vegetable she really liked.  Truth be told she didn’t really have a favorite, but snow peas were close enough. 

“Oh, curiosity mostly, though I think both you and I know I would have had to kill you if you had said celery.”  With that the spirit disappeared into the pool, leaving no ripple behind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Thanks to everybody who's been brave enough to come with me on this twisted misadventure, especially to those have commented and left kudos. I know it's been intense, but hang in there. There will be a light at the end of a tunnel (and I promise it won't be an oncoming train).

Korra and Lin stood in stoic silence next to each other while the boat cut through the waters just off of Republic City.  Each woman pointedly refused to look at the other, as if to do so would be a terrible loss of face.  Lin braced herself against each bounce of the waves with a wide stance, back rigid and arms folded across her chest.  Korra gripped the railing and leaned out as if urging the boat to go faster.  Some small part of her felt guilty for goading Lin.  She respected and liked the police chief.  They had come to each other’s aid more times than she could count.  And Lin had been the one to pull her out of her uncontrolled Avatar state, probably saving many lives and, at the very least, avoiding a good deal of mayhem.  She knew she should be grateful to the older woman – and she was – but for what she wanted to do, she needed Lin’s access to Kuvira more than she needed the chief’s approval.

Soon enough, the boat pulled up to a man-made island, a large platform built completely out of wood.  She had heard that a prison had been built specially for Kuvira and some of the higher ranked Earth Empire officers.  Apparently, it was similar in design to that which had once held Ghazan, one of Zaheer’s gang.  It was well suited for containing powerful earth benders.  As added security, the location was known only to a select few – President Raiko, Lin, a couple of the chief’s trusted officers including Mako, and the White Lotus guards assigned to the prison.  And now Korra.  She could have known whenever she wanted, but it didn’t seem relevant until now.

White Lotus guards saluted Korra and Lin as they disembarked.  Lin gave one of the guards a few clipped instructions, scowling the whole time.  The guard hurried off, grabbing another guard as she went.  Korra surveyed the main docking area curiously.  Arriving boats tied off to a floating dock, which was attached to an open, flat courtyard, the only clear area on the whole platform that Korra could see.  Anyone going for the boats would be clearly visible.  The remaining three sides of the platform were lined with small structures, cells from their appearance.  Half a dozen guards circled in a set rotation from cell to cell, checking doors and occasionally poking their heads inside to inspect the prisoners.   One large building rose against the back edge of the platform.  This looked to be the center of activity at the prison, probably housing the guards’ sleeping quarters, the mess hall, and any administrative functions.

“This way,” said Lin gruffly, pulling Korra’s attention back to the chief.

The Avatar followed Lin toward the main building.  They passed several more guards at the entrance, who bowed respectfully to the women.  Lin led Korra down one hallway, then another, arriving at an unmarked door.  Without a word Lin walked in.  Korra hesitated for a moment.  How would she feel when she finally saw Kuvira?  There was only one way to find out.  She strode into the room, her jaw fixed, but the room was empty but for a table and a few chairs.  She let out a breath that she didn’t even know she’d been holding.

And immediately sucked in another one when Kuvira’s voice spoke softly behind her.  “I wasn’t expecting visitors.”

Korra spun around to glower at the woman behind her.  Kuvira’s expression was decidedly neutral as she looked at Korra, but the Avatar noticed the disgraced general lean slightly away from her when she caught sight of Korra’s angry face.  _Good, let her be intimidated.  It will make this easier._

Kuvira was led into the room by two guards who guided her to one of the chairs.  Korra studied her.  The general’s posture was as straight as ever despite the platinum manacles around her wrists – apparently even here the guards took no chances – but there were shadows beneath Kuvira’s eyes and thin lines near her mouth.  Her hands rested loosely on the table in front of her.  Instead of holding her head imperiously high as she had always done before, she bowed it slightly, not broken exactly, but as if in acceptance of her fate.  At her trial, the general had refused to mount any sort of defense, and silently bore the judgment of the court.  Subsequently, the trial itself had been an incredibly brief affair, with more time spent arguing over who should be in charge of her punishment than anything else.  Eventually it had been decided that her crimes were sufficiently monumental and international in scale to warrant guarding by the society of the White Lotus instead of the Earth Kingdom, especially given that nation’s continuing instability.  Kuvira had spoken only once, to offer a seemingly heartfelt apology to all who had been affected by her misguided and twisted plans.  Now, Korra wondered if Kuvira’s demons were coming back to haunt her.  Here in this place, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, how would Kuvira hold up?  Korra hoped that the general retained enough of her fire to do what Korra needed her to. 

The two guards stationed themselves behind and to either side of Kuvira.  Glancing between Korra and Lin, the former general smiled ever so slightly.  “To what do I owe the honor of seeing the Avatar and Republic City’s finest in one day?”

“Before we get to that, one thing first,” said Korra.  She pointed at the guards behind Kuvira.  “You two, get out.  And whatever you hear, don’t come back in.”

The guards looked stunned at the gruff command.  They looked from her to each other, and finally to Lin.  Kuvira raised a bemused eyebrow.  Korra turned to the chief as well.  Lin’s frown deepened, but she nodded at the two guards.  Reluctantly, they left Kuvira with Lin and Korra, the latter staring holes in their backsides until the door closed behind them.

Korra rounded on Kuvira.  “Three days ago, your soldiers kidnapped Asami Sato in an attempt to use her as a bargaining chip to free you from imprisonment.”

“Attempt?  Clearly not successful.  I assume Ms. Sato is alright?” Kuvira said evenly.  Her almost indifferent tone infuriated Korra.

“She’s dead,” Korra hissed.

Kuvira visibly blanched, her mouth hanging slightly agape, before she recovered quickly.  “My apologies, I didn’t know.”

“Well, now you do,” growled Korra.

Lin shifted uneasily by Korra’s side, but the Avatar ignored her for the moment, fixing her glare on Kuvira.  The general sat motionless in her chair, passively meeting Korra’s stare, but there was a new tension in the woman’s body.

Finally, Kuvira said, “What do you want?”

 _I want Asami back_ , Korra nearly screamed, but she choked back the words.  She forced out others instead.  “I want you to help me put an end to what’s left of the rebellion.  We captured some of those responsible, but there are others out there.  I want your help finding them.”

Lin stiffened even more.  The police chief cleared her throat.  “Avatar Korra, if I may have a word with you – _outside_.”

“Very well,” Korra scoffed, acting affronted.  She’d anticipated this, knowing full well that Lin would never accept this course of action.  The police chief would tell her that Kuvira was too dangerous to trust, too dangerous to loose on the world again.  Maybe she was right, but Korra didn’t care.  Kuvira was her link to the remaining Earth Empire soldiers and she was going to use it.

Which was why when Lin shouldered past her, expecting the Avatar to follow her, Korra flipped the chief’s world upside down with a sudden whirlwind of air.  The startled officer didn’t even have time to shout before Korra slammed her into a wall.  There was nothing to do about the loud thump as Lin’s metal encased body made contact.  Korra felt more than a twinge of guilt when the back of the older woman’s head smacked against the wood, knocking her senseless.  Korra shrugged the feeling away.  It was a brutal move, but right now it served her purpose.

Korra raced to the door, her head cocked listening for anything that would indicate the guards returning.  Hearing nothing, she strode over to the fallen police chief.  She crouched in front of Lin, putting a hand on the chief’s shoulder.

“I know you can’t hear me right now,” Korra said to the motionless woman in front of her.  She popped open a flask that she had hidden in her belt.  With a gentle motion of her hand, a blob of cold, clear water rose from the mouth of the flask.  “But I want you to know I’m sorry for that.”

With one hand Korra gingerly leaned Lin’s head forward a bit, supporting her neck, while manipulating the water with her other hand, which began to glow.  Slowly, patiently, she healed Lin’s wound, not enough to wake her, but enough to remove any more serious, permanent damage.  “I know you’ll probably think this is payback for before, but it really isn’t.  It’s just you can’t come with me and I can’t let you stop me.  I hope you’ll understand eventually.”

A shape flickered in the corner of her eye.  Just beyond the edge of her vision, Korra could sense _her_ – glowing eyes, wild hair, chain scraping lightly over rough wood planks.  Korra shivered, but refused to look.  _She_ wasn’t a threat anymore.  Korra was in control.

The healing done, Korra stood and faced Kuvira, continuing to bend the water in her hand.  The general’s furrowed brows were Korra’s only indication that the past minute’s events had any effect on the woman’s otherwise implacable demeanor.

“Are you going to kill me now?” Kuvira asked calmly.  Korra wanted to throttle her and her damn serenity.

“No, I have other plans for you,” Korra spat.

The Avatar split the water in her hand in two and floated them toward Kuvira.  The general tensed, as if waiting for a blow.  The two balls of water slid smoothly into the locks on Kuvira’s manacles.  Korra closed her hand with a sharp jerk.  The water froze instantaneously, cracking the lock mechanism and forcing the cuffs apart.  Kuvira stared in amazement at the broken pieces of metal around her now free wrists.

“You’re coming with me.”

“But why?” asked Kuvira, her tone full of wonder and confusion.  It was the first time Kuvira’s voice sounded flustered in this whole meeting.

“Because your soldiers did this, and now you’re going to help me find them.  Do you understand me?” Korra snarled menacingly.  She pounded the table, causing Kuvira’s eyes to jump from her own wrists to the Avatar’s face.  Under Korra’s gaze, the general’s face hardened until Korra could no longer read her expression.

“I do, but do you?” asked the disgraced general, eyeing Korra with a penetrating stare.  “Do you really know what you’re getting into?”

Korra pounded the table.  “I am going to stop them by whatever means necessary.”

“Now you’re starting to sound a lot like me,” Kuvira remarked.  “What happened to the compassion you spoke so highly of?”

“They murdered it when they murdered my...”  Even now she didn’t know what to call Asami.  How do you name someone who was at once without title, and yet everything to you?  “When they murdered Asami.”

The pained expression on Kuvira’s face gave Korra a strange, vicious sense of satisfaction.  Kuvira’s voice held seemingly genuine sympathy when she said, “I truly am sorry to hear about Ms. Sato’s demise.”

“The same way you were sorry to kill her father?” rebutted Korra, wanting to inflict some additional measure of hurt on Kuvira.

The general flinched and looked down at her hands on the table.  “That is one of the many sins that I have no way of ever rectifying.”

“That’s true, but maybe you can make a start by helping me hunt down her killers.”

“And how do expect me to do that?  I haven’t had contact with any of them for more than a month.”

“I could waste a lot of time looking for your people on my own, but I think there’s a better way to do this.  Your soldiers want you free.  We’re going to give them what they want.  And when they come to you, I’ll have them,” replied Korra with cold certainty.

Kuvira glanced back up at Korra, giving her a considering look.  Then she nodded sharply.  “I will help you any way I can.”

***

Checking one last time on Lin’s bindings, Korra crouched by the door with Kuvira.  The Avatar eyed Kuvira flexing her hand around the two small pieces of meteorite that Korra had given her.  With metal in her palm, the general looked more like her old self.  Korra wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Remember, we do this my way.  We get to one of the captured soldiers, we ask the questions we need to ask, and we get out.  No revenge and no killing,” said Korra sternly.

“I have no taste for killing anymore,” replied Kuvira.  “You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Good.  You ready?”

Kuvira gave Korra and odd look.  Korra blew out an impatient breath.  “What?”

“Why are you trusting me?” said the general, her voice laced with confusion.

Korra considered the question.  She wasn’t a fool.  She knew what Kuvira was capable of, but she’d also seen the beginnings of change in the fallen general when Kuvira surrendered herself in the Spirit World.  It wasn’t enough to trust her completely, but it made her seem like less of a liability.  Which was all way too complicated to explain right now, so Korra shrugged and said, “I don’t, not totally.  But I don’t have to.  Whether it’s a trap or you’re genuinely trying to help me, either way you’ll lead me to your soldiers, and that’s what I want.  Now, can we go before the guards decide to show up?”

Kuvira nodded.  Korra rose swiftly into a fluid pose, gliding from one form to another and another in quick succession.  Thick fog rose from the cracks between the floorboards and spilled under the door.  Distant voices, raised in worry, told Korra that the fog had spread across the artificial island just as she’d intended.  She knew several of the White Lotus guards were water benders, but they would find the fog hard to disperse with the power of the Avatar behind it.

“Go, now,” commanded Korra.  “And stay close.  I don’t want to have to find you in this stuff.”

Kuvira darted out into the hallway first, Korra fast on her heels.  The fog blinded them and hid them in equal measures.  They stuck close to the walls, moving as swiftly as they could in the mist while listening for approaching footsteps.  Korra knew that some of the Earth Empire soldiers who’d kidnapped Asami had been transferred here from the jail in Republic City.  They needed to get to one quickly and find out where other soldiers might be hiding in the city.

The hallway opened up into the main mess, rows of tables and benches stretching into the unnatural gloom cast by the mist.  Kuvira threw a questioning look over her shoulder at Korra.  Korra motioned for the general to move right along the wall.  She was hoping to find a window.  She could fight her way out the main entrance of the building if she needed too, but she wished to remain undetected for as long as possible.  Fast moving footsteps echoed in the mist and Korra dragged Kuvira under a nearby table until the sound passed.  She crept cautiously from her hiding space, waving for Kuvira to join her.  The general began following the wall again, coming to a window in a few moments.  Unfortunately it wasn’t a window intended for opening, just glass panes in a wooden frame.  Korra hesitated.  Breaking the window would draw attention.

Frantic shouts behind her from the hallway decided for Korra.

“I guess they’ve found Chief Beifong,” remarked Kuvira in a low whisper.

Korra stepped back and used a hard thrust of air to batter the window outward.  Wood splintered and glass shattered.

“They’re this way!” someone shouted nearby.

Without instruction, Kuvira leapt out the window, followed closely by Korra.  Another low building stood nearby, forming a bit of an alley.  They skirted the edge of the smaller building in a low crouching run.  Two guards emerged from the fog, startled to see the two women.  Metal shot out from Kuvira’s hand, wrapping around each of the guards mouths before they could shout a warning.  A high kick and some airbending from Korra sent the guards sprawling into the mist and out of sight.  With a smooth motion of her hand, the metal returned to Kuvira and they ran on.

Guards were shouting from every direction now.  Despite the thick fog giving them cover, Korra was forced to toss another set of guards off the platform into the sea, while Kuvira forced others to dive for cover as she sent her metal bits hurtling through the air.  Not knowing which cell contained the newly arrived prisoners, Korra kicked down the door of the first one they came to.  A wide-eyed Earth Empire soldier stared up at them from the edge of his bed.

“General Kuvira,” he gasped.

Ignoring him, Korra glanced questioningly at Kuvira.   The general shook her head and said to Korra, “Chang’s been here with me since the invasion.”

They rushed on, leaving the startled officer behind.  The next two cells were no more fruitful.  The fourth cell, however, held a soldier Kuvira didn’t recognize.  White Lotus guards could be heard approaching their position.  Korra shoved Kuvira inside and blocked the door with her body, facing out into the fog.

“You there!  When did you arrive?” Korra heard Kuvira bark behind her.

“Yesterday,” stammered the soldier, obviously flustered with the general’s sudden appearance.

“Good.  You’re coming with us,” Kuvira ordered.  The soldier immediately jumped to his feet, but gave the Avatar a sidelong glance.  Kuvira added, “I’ll explain later.”

“Korra, we’re never going to make it to the boats,” Kuvira said.

“We’re not taking a boat,” Korra threw over her shoulder as she shot a few blasts of fire and air out into the fog, keeping the approaching guards at bay.

“We aren’t?” squeaked the soldier.

“We aren’t?” echoed Kuvira.

“Nope.”  Korra spun around to face them, her hands full of fire.  “Duck.”

Kuvira threw herself to the ground, dragging the soldier down with her.  Korra released a violent gout of flame that blasted through the back wall of the cell.

“Go!” she shouted, all pretense at stealth gone with the guards quickly closing in behind them. 

Korra shot a blast of air from her hand, slamming the bed against the doorway as a temporary blockade.  It wouldn’t hold long though.  Kuvira and the soldier scrambled to their feet, pouring out the hole in the wall.  Korra leapt through after them.  All three landed on a thin catwalk behind the cells, with nothing but a good twenty foot drop to the open ocean stretching before them.

“Now what?” asked Kuvira.

Behind them the bed flew across the room as the guards battered their way in.

“Jump,” ordered Korra.

With a hand on each of their shoulders, Korra forced Kuvira and the soldier off the platform.  The three of them plunged toward the water, the soldier hollering his head off.  Just as they made contact with the sea, Korra enveloped them in an air pocket that sank below the surface.  With all the bending she could muster, she propelled them forward, racing across the sea floor.  This deep below the surface, the White Lotus guards would have a hard time tracking them, and it was unlikely they could keep up even if they did manage to spot them.  Korra knew a full scale manhunt would immediately go into effect, but she also knew they’d be hidden back in Republic City before anyone even knew where to look.  She gave a dark smile.  Everything was going according to plan.

***

“You lost her?!” shouted Bolin, waving his hands frantically in the air, “I left you for maybe twenty minutes-“

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Try two hours.”

“Whatever, the point is that when I left Korra was here and now she’s not.  How could you lose her?!”  Bolin continued, completely panicking.

Mako forced himself to take a deep breath.  He knew Bolin was worried about Korra disappearing again.  Truthfully, he had the same concerns.  And Bolin wasn’t dealing well with losing Asami.  Nobody was.  There must have been two dozen people on Airbender Island right now, and more arriving every day as the news spread, but without their friend it still felt empty.  Keeping all this in mind, Mako placed a steadying hand on Bolin’s shoulder instead of giving his brother the chewing out that he wanted to deliver.

“Bo, Korra’s with the chief.  Chief Beifong isn’t going to let anything happen to Korra.  You know that,” Mako explained patiently.

“Nothing but maybe hitting her in the head with a rock again!  Or what if they get separated?  What if they get attacked by Earth Empire soldiers?  Or what if Korra pulls a bait and switch like she did last time, where we think she’s with Lin and Lin thinks she’s with us, but really she’s with neither?”

Mako interrupted his brother’s torrents of ‘what ifs’, interjecting, “I watched them get on the boat, Bo.  _Together_.”

“So you say, but what if Korra ditched Lin the first chance she got?  She’s a water bender for spirit’s sake!  Bloop!  Over the side, there goes Korra!” 

Bolin’s voice was taking on a shrill edge as it pitched higher and higher.  Mako wished Opal was there.  Bolin had come to Republic City right away aboard airship when he’d heard the news about Asami.  Opal had stayed back temporarily to take care of a few things in Zaofu, but she should be on her way by now.  Mako thought she couldn’t arrive soon enough.  Mako sighed and turned his attention to the sky, tuning out his brother’s panicked ramblings.  Bolin would run out of steam eventually.  Something caught Mako’s attention among the clouds.  He squinted, trying to get a better view.

“What’s that?” Mako thought aloud.

“I know what you’re trying to do, Mako, but distracting me isn’t going to work,” groused Bolin petulantly.

Mako took a step forward and pointed.  “No, really, what’s that?”

Bolin finally looked up, following his brother’s out-stretched arm.  He shrugged.  “Looks like a bird to me.”

“That’s an awfully big bird,” remarked Mako.  “And it’s headed right for us.”

Bolin scratched his head.  “Huh.  That’s weird.”

The dark bird swooped lower and lower.  The brothers traded glances and then sprinted across the courtyard.  They weren’t sure if the thing was a threat yet, but with the week they’d had, they weren’t taking chances.  They took up defensive positions, settling into postures that would allow them to bend at a moment’s notice.

As the black bird drew closer, Mako could see its body shimmering with the faint translucence of a spirit.  He relaxed slightly but remained on guard.  Since Korra had opened the spirit portal it was not unusual for spirits to come and go as they pleased from Airbender Island.  Yet, the bird seemed to be on a mission, its wings pumping hard.  With one last dive it landed gracefully in the courtyard.  Golden eyes peered at him and Bolin as they inched their way forward, their hands at the ready.

“What a rude greeting,” said the bird disdainfully, “particularly when I come bearing a gift.”

“Don’t be too hard on them, Junaio.  They’ve had a rough week,” said a feminine voice from atop the bird’s back.

Mako’s brain froze.  _NO WAY.  This is not possible._

Sure enough a familiar figure slid down and dropped to the stones of the courtyard.  Mako watched in dumb-founded silence as Asami Sato scratched the spirit bird on the neck and showered it with many warm thanks.  The bird dipped its head regally to Asami before launching itself in the air and disappearing into the sky.  Asami turned to face the brothers.

“Hi guys.”

Beside Mako, Bolin gaped at Asami, his eyes bug-eyed and his jaw flapping.  He pointed one trembling finger at Asami.  Whispering, he said, “You’re dead.”

Asami flashed Bolin a sweet smile.  “Not yet.”

Bolin made an inarticulate sound and if anything his eyes got bigger.

“Asami,” Mako said, finding it was the only word he was capable of uttering.

The look in his eyes must have said it all, because the next thing she grabbed him in a tight, fond embrace.  Tears leaked out from under Mako’s eyelids as he held his friend close.  “I’m so glad you’re not gone.”

“Me too,” she sighed.

“How…?”  Mako’s question trailed off.

“Long story.  But first things first, I need to find Korra,” Asami replied, withdrawing gently from the hug.

Next to the pair, Bolin fainted dead away.

***

“So, let me get this straight,” Asami said with exasperation to those gathered around her, “you let Korra just take off to see Kuvira after she hadn’t left her room or spoken to anyone for three days.  How was that not a terrible idea?”

News of Asami’s arrival - and more importantly her status of being among the living – had spread across Airbender Island like wildfire.  Asami, Mako, and a freshly recovered Bolin had gathered Tenzin, Pema, Kya, and Bumi in the main eating area.  Pabu rested on Bolin’s shoulder and Bumju snuggled in Bumi’s lap.  Naga forced her head under Asami’s hand, and Asami stroked the polar bear dog’s muzzle warmly, taking comfort in Naga’s solid presence since Korra was absent.  With Naga there, it felt like Asami was connected to a little part of Korra.  Asami had been sorely disappointed when Korra was not on the island, but now she was just plain indignant.  Most of those surrounding the table had the good sense to look vaguely shame-faced.  Ultimately, it was Tenzin who answered her.  “I agree with you, Asami.  But have you ever known anyone to stop Korra when she puts her mind to something?  At least, she has Lin behind her.”

“Not anymore,” growled a deep voice from the door.

They all turned to see Lin Beifong standing in the door, her eyes narrowed and her face pinched with hard anger.  Asami’s heart skipped a beat.  The police chief absent-mindedly stroked the back of her head.  “Our Avatar has gone rogue and she’s taken Kuvira with her.”

The audience around the table gasped at Lin’s proclamation.

Lin nodded to Asami.  “Good to see you alive, Ms. Sato.  I wish it was under better circumstances.”

“Really?!”  Asami heard Bolin exclaim.  “She comes back from the dead, and that’s all you’ve got?”

“Focus, Bolin,” chided Asami, though mildly.  She had been presumed dead for three days, so she could appreciate Bolin’s position.

“Right!  Focus, Bolin,” Bolin muttered to himself.

“What do you mean Korra’s gone rogue?” Tenzin asked, beating Asami to it.

Lin broke down the events at the prison for the group, each additional detail of the story adding to Asami’s growing dread.  The rest of the team seemed to be in shock.  When Lin finished, Asami could’ve heard a pin drop in the thick silence.

“But she didn’t kill anyone, did she?” asked Asami, almost not wanting to know the answer.

“Nothing like that,” replied Lin, rubbing the back of her head again.  “A few cuts and bruises, and a couple of guards doing the doggie paddle, but nothing serious injury wise.  Breaking out Kuvira, though, that’s as serious as it gets.”

“Why would she do that?” piped up Bolin.  “Why not just go after the soldiers herself?  Why not ask us for help?  We would’ve helped round them up.”

“Because she’s not looking to round them up,” said Asami quietly. “She’s looking to hurt them.”

“No way!” retorted Bolin, a chorus of voices and nodding heads from around the table supporting him.  Even Pabu, perched on his shoulder, chattered in apparent agreement.  “Korra would never do that.”

“Really, Bolin?  Normally, I’d agree with you.  But you already told me how she reacted when she first found out.  What would you do, if it was Opal who’d been killed?” asked Asami fiercely.

“I mean, yeah, I’d probably want to hurt someone too, but Korra’s not like me-“

“No,” interjected Lin, “she’s not.  She’s a lot more dangerous than you.  She’s hurting badly, she’s got the Avatar’s strength, and she’s got one hell of a temper.  She may not even consciously be planning to hurt them, but underneath it all, she’s out for payback, not justice.  Who knows what she’ll do in the heat of the moment?”

“I just can’t believe Korra would do something like that,” argued Bolin, clearly unconvinced.  Fewer heads bobbed around him now, though.  Tenzin was staring at the table, Bumi had a considering look on his face.

Finally, Mako, who’d been silent the whole time, spoke quietly.  “Bo, you didn’t see Korra when she couldn’t find Asami.  Something in her broke.  I’ve never seen anything like it, not even when Zaheer poisoned her.”

Bolin’s shoulders slumped in defeat and he looked to be on the edge of tears.  Pabu nuzzled his neck, cooing softly.  The others sat around in gloomy silence.

“So, how do we stop the most powerful human being on the planet from murdering anyone?” Bumi said plainly, after a minute.  Bumju squeaked despondently on his shoulder.

“Simple,” Asami said, “we show her I’m still alive.”

***

“Don’t let her kill me!” Dao Chen yelped, scrabbling at the fist holding his collar.  Out of his good eye, he stared like a frightened rabbit duck at the blue-eyed monster with her other fist drawn back.  His other eye was already swelling shut from the Avatar’s last punch.  She shoved him hard against the back alley stairs, the railing jabbing painfully into his lower back.

“I’m not going to let her kill you,” said Kuvira calmly, “but I do suggest you answer her questions.”

“I don’t understand, General.  What are you doing with this woman?  She’s the enemy!  Why are you letting her treat me like this?” Dao whined.

“What I am doing with her is my business.  As for why I am letting her treat you like this?  Perhaps next time you will learn to follow orders,” replied Kuvira coldly.

“Orders? What orders?” cried Dao.

“The last orders I issued.  I ordered all of you to stand down and surrender.  Was there anything unclear about my words?” Kuvira said coldly, glaring at the soldier.

“No, but you had been captured.  We assumed that they’d forced you,” explained Dao, still clawing at Korra’s hand.

“Do I seem like I can be forced to say anything I don’t want to say?” Kuvira sneered. 

Dao paled.  “No.”

“No,” Kuvira repeated.  “Order is one of the most important principles that distinguish an army from a band of street thugs.  Without respect for the command structure there is chaos.  Do you remember what I did to street thugs while cleaning up the Earth Kingdom?”

Kuvira knew she had a dangerous glitter in her eye.  She’d perfected it on her way up as an officer under Suyin Beifong in Zaofu, and then later as she commandeered the forces of the Earth Kingdom, trying to rein in the anarchy.  Her path may have gotten twisted somewhere along the way, but she’d certainly picked up some useful skills.  Dao’s knees started to knock together.  He definitely remembered what she used to do to street thugs.

“Now start talking.”

Dao spilled the rebels' secrets like an exploded dam pouring down river.  In hardly more than thirty seconds, he’d given them everything – the rebels’ last known hideout, who was responsible for organizing the kidnapping, how many soldiers were left.  He was about to start listing names and ranks when Kuvira cut him off.  They had everything they needed.  With a twist of her wrist, the metal railing curled around him.

“What are you doing?” he squeaked.

“Making sure you don’t follow us.”

“But I can help you!” he complained.  Korra tightened her grip on his collar, cutting into his air supply.  Dao started turning an unnatural shade of red.  Kuvira grabbed Korra’s shoulder and pulled her off of him.

“Korra, that’s enough.  We have want we want,” said Kuvira evenly.

Korra glared at her before storming off down the alley.  Kuvira turned to follow her when the soldier called out to her.

“You’re a hypocrite, you know!” he shouted, brave now that Korra’s hands weren’t at his throat.

Kuvira looked at him for a long moment.  “Yes, I am.  The thing is, I always was.  You just couldn’t see it.”

“We would’ve followed you anywhere!”  His voice followed her down the alley as she walked away.

“And that’s why I can’t let you.  Not anymore,” she said softly to herself.

Kuvira was forced to pick up her pace in order to catch up to Korra.  She grabbed the younger woman’s arm and spun Korra to face her.  Korra glowered at her, the muscles in her jaw working.  The Avatar’s eyes seemed a million miles away.

“You didn’t have to hurt Dao like that,” stated Kuvira, hoping to bring Korra back into herself.

“He had it coming,” muttered Korra, though a hint of red in Korra’s cheeks let Kuvira know that the Avatar felt at least a little regret at her display.  _Good._   Yet, the defiance in Korra’s eyes still scared Kuvira.  Korra had once said that they were a lot alike.  Kuvira had insisted that they were nothing alike.  Now, she was starting to wonder if they were more similar than she cared to admit.  She hoped for the Avatar’s sake it wasn’t true.

“Don’t forget the mission, Avatar.  We’re here to rein in the last of my soldiers, not beat people up.”

“I know _exactly_ why we’re here.  How could I forget?  And since when are you of all people squeamish about a little blood?  Are you in this or not?” growled Korra.  “Or do I need to leave you dangling from the next railing we pass too?”

“So eager for round two, are you?” rejoined Kuvira.  “Don’t think I’d go down without a fight.”

“Just remember who won the first round,” Korra said darkly.  “Come on.”

Kuvira trailed after Korra.  She was starting to wonder who really had won.

***

Stretching her arms above her head as she walked, Asami luxuriated in the feeling of her newly healed body for just a moment.  _Nothing like mortal peril to make you appreciate the simple things._   She promised herself she wouldn’t take her physical health for granted ever again.  She needed some fresh air after the group’s whirlwind planning session.  The plan was simple – Asami, Bolin, and Mako would return to the mainland to search for signs of Korra; Lin would step up police patrols looking for the remnants of the Earth Empire army, hoping to get to them before Korra did; Tenzin, Bumi, and the other air benders would conduct constant surveillance from the air; even Bumju would help, spreading the word among the spirits that Korra needed to be found as soon as possible.  All involved agreed to keep President Raiko in the dark as long as possible.  He’d never particularly liked Korra before, and he’d have a field day if he found out about her latest exploits.  It was a good plan.  And Asami wanted to cry.

Haizhe’s vision kept flashing through her mind.  With her power, Korra was capable of so much good, but she was also capable of terrible deeds.  Asami knew deep in her heart that what Bolin said was correct.  Korra wouldn’t start out intending to seriously injure or kill someone, but if her emotions were blinding her, the consequences could be devastating, to the victim and Korra both.  Korra would never, ever forgive herself.  It would break the Avatar in ways Asami had no clue how to heal, if she could be healed at all.  What wouldn’t Asami give to prevent that from happening?

Asami strode along one of the covered walkways between buildings, consumed in her thoughts, until she saw a flash of red and yellow disappear up over the eaves.

“Meelo?” she called out.

The young air bender slowly poked his head out over the roofline, looking down at Asami.  He looked unusually subdued compared to the boy Asami knew.

“Hi, Asami,” he said meekly.

“Why don’t you come down to say hi?” suggested Asami, curious about Meelo’s strange behavior.

“OK,” he said reluctantly.  He flipped over the edge and dropped lightly to his feet, using his bending to cushion the last few inches of his descent.

Meelo stood awkwardly before her, looking anywhere but at her, his hands wringing behind his back.  Asami scrunched her face in confusion at the boy’s odd behavior.  “Are you OK, Meelo?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” he mumbled.

“Oh-kay.”  Asami said, drawing out the syllables into a half question, her disbelief evident.  Changing tack, she said, “Meelo, I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?” he looked up, surprised.

“For coming to rescue me, silly.  What else?” she chided gently.

“But I didn’t rescue you,” he burst out.  “I didn’t do anything at all!  If I hadn’t messed everything up, then you probably would have escaped all by yourself and you wouldn’t have…well, you didn’t…but you almost…”

“…died?” finished Asami.  Meelo nodded, releasing a great gusty breath.  He flopped down onto the ground looking perfectly miserable.  Asami took a seat next to him.  It wasn’t like her mechanics suit could really get any dirtier.  Come to think of it, she really needed a change of clothes, but anyway…

“Meelo, what you did for me was very brave.  What happened wasn’t your fault.  You didn’t kidnap me, those soldiers did,” said Asami, trying to comfort the distraught air bender.  “You tried your best.”

“But I failed!” Meelo groaned loudly.

A thought struck Asami.  Meelo was a young and gifted bender.  He’d always done well at anything he put his mind to.  This could quite possibly be the first time he’d tried his hardest and things still hadn’t worked out.  It was a hard lesson to learn, made doubly difficult given the circumstances.  She knew only too well what that felt like.  Asami engulfed Meelo in a big hug, the boy squawking in astonishment.  She released him a moment later, catching his eye.

“Meelo, I know you don’t want to hear this, but sometimes even when we try our best, things don’t work out like we want them to.  It doesn’t mean it’s our fault.  And it doesn’t mean we stop trying,” said Asami firmly.

“But what good am I if I can’t protect people?” asked Meelo, heaving a melodramatic sigh.

“Meelo, you are perfectly capable of protecting people.  I heard about how you saved your father during the battle with Kuvira’s mech.  And Lin tells me you were pretty impressive when the Equalists attacked Airbender Island,” she said with a smile.

“Lin told you that?” said Meelo, his voice full of awe and his eyes wide.  As cocky and self-assured as Meelo could be, he knew how rare and grudging Lin Beifong’s praise was.

“Yes.”  OK, that was stretching the truth.  In reality, Asami had overhead Lin muttering about Tenzin’s kids’ inability to stay inside when they should have, and what a rascal Meelo in particular was, but coming from Lin that was a high compliment.

The white lie was entirely worth it however, when Meelo seemed to perk up.  He preened as he said with a distinctly self-pleased tone, “I guess I _have_ saved my fair share of people in distress.  In fact, my whole family would be toast without me around.”

Asami rolled her eyes.  She should have never doubted the resiliency of Meelo’s ego.  The young air bender fixed her with such a serious stare it nearly made Asami laugh. “What are we going to do about Korra?  Who do you need me to take out?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Meelo.  It’s my job to save Korra,” she answered.

“Aren’t you worried you’ll fail?” he asked.

Asami considered lying in order to reassure him, but thought better of it.  “Yes, I am.  But if I don’t try, then I know I’ll fail.  And I love Korra too much to give up on her.  I have to try.”


	6. Chapter 6

Korra didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she scoped out the entrance to the rebel’s hideout from a shadowy alley across the road.  The damn thing was across the street and only a few doors away from the temporary Future Industries offices.  The soldiers had been right there all along, plotting and scheming while Korra had acted like a star-struck fool.  How had she been so blind to what was happening right under her nose?  Her gut churned with a toxic brew of self-loathing and rage.  She was the worst Avatar to ever walk the face of the earth, and Asami had paid for her stupidity.   Korra couldn’t bring Asami back, but she could put a stop to the rebels.  Today, she would no longer be blind.

“Dao said that there were maybe forty left after…the incident,” said Kuvira carefully, just behind Korra’s shoulder.

“I want all of them there,” said Korra, cracking her knuckles dangerously.

“Then, I’ll have to go in alone at first.  If you’re with me, they’ll know something’s wrong and they’ll either scatter or fight.  But if it’s just me, they’ll do what I say.  If some of them are elsewhere I can call them in,” Kuvira replied.

“And what will I be doing?  Twiddling my thumbs waiting for you to screw me over?”

Kuvira was quiet for a moment before saying, “Do you think you can get to the roof without anyone noticing?”

“Sure, but won’t there be sentries?” Korra asked.

Kuvira shrugged, giving Korra a challenging smile.  “I imagine there will be, but I’m sure you’re capable of taking them out without causing a ruckus.  All I need is a few minutes inside to make sure my orders are sent out, then we can take the soldiers that are already here.  By the way, how exactly do you intend to capture a few dozen trained soldiers?”

Korra rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the tension there.  “I haven’t really figured that one out yet.  I’m sure something will come to me.”

“Remind me again how you managed to defeat my entire army again?” said Kuvira sourly.

“I had good people helping me,” Korra answered bluntly.  _People like Asami and Hiroshi, who shouldn’t be dead; people like Meelo, who shouldn’t have to live with guilt they don’t deserve; people like Mako and Bolin, who’s hearts were breaking…people who she wouldn’t let down, ever again._

“Korra, you don’t have to do this,” Kuvira said quietly, laying a hand on Korra’s shoulder.  “We know where they are.  All we have to do is call the police.  One phone call and this is all over.”

 _It’ll never be over._   Korra swept the hand from her shoulder angrily.  “No police.”

Kuvira studied her, appearing as if she might say something else.  The general looked worried.  Korra couldn’t tell if it was for her or about her, and frankly, she didn’t care.  They’d come too far to stop now.

“Afraid things will go wrong for you?” Korra bit out.

Kuvira chuckled darkly.  “For me, no.  For you, maybe?”

“Is that a threat?” Korra barked, eyeing Kuvira suspiciously.

“No threats.  Just keep a cool head in there.  We can get them all if you don’t lose your temper.”

“I’ll be fine,” retorted Korra churlishly.

“See that you are,” Kuvira said stiffly.  “Give me ten minutes before you enter the building.”

The general stepped to the edge of the alley and glanced both ways down the street.  This part of the city hadn’t fully recovered yet, and the streets were basically empty even in the middle of the day.  Assured that the way was clear, Kuvira strode across the street as if she owned it.  If Korra hadn’t known that Kuvira had just escaped from prison and was helping her, she’d swear the general looked exactly like the proud woman she’d been only a little more than a month ago.  Shaking her head, Korra turned her mind to her part of the plan. 

Heading deeper into the alley, Korra found what she was searching for.  She scrambled up the empty fire escape and emerged onto the roof, taking in the roof across the street from her.  Sure enough, two guards watched from the roof of the hideout, scanning the street below.  She could see one wave excitedly to the other and point at the street below, obviously noting their general striding right for their hideout.  The men exchanged a few short words and then one went racing down into the building via a low hatch in the roof.  Now was her chance.

Korra took a few steps back and then lunged forward in a running start.  Inches from the edge, she used the stone in the building to launch her far into the air in a wide sweeping arc.  She rose and dropped.  The wind grabbed at her clothing, flapping pieces of fabric in the breeze.  The guard looked up for the source of the sound just in time to see Korra’s boots right before they hit his chest.  The guard went sprawling against the gravel roof top.  He didn’t get up.  _One down, thirty-nine more to go._

***

Heaving a great sigh, Tamtu finished packing the last of Asami’s blueprints into a box, each carefully placed into its own protective tube.  A lone tear rolled down her cheek.  She wiped at it brusquely.  _None of that_ , she scolded herself.  She had a job to do after all, and she couldn’t be wasting time with sentimentality.  She would not dishonor Ms. Sato’s memory by turning into a blubbering, useless mess when Ms. Sato’s company needed tending.  No one quite knew what to do, with Ms. Sato’s passing coming as serious shock, and no immediate heir to inherit the company.  The section heads wanted to continue on, in honor of Ms. Sato’s memory.  Tamtu approved of their loyalty to Ms. Sato’s vision.  The board of directors, on the other hand, along with some of the investors were talking about selling the company to Varrick - or even, the Spirit’s forbid, Cabbage Corp.  Ms. Sato would be rolling over in her grave if she knew.  _If she had a grave_ , Tamtu thought sadly.  Three days and the vultures were already circling.  They hadn’t even had an official funeral yet.

With everything in chaos, Tamtu did what she knew best – she organized.  She pulled out and categorized the paperwork that would be needed for any kind of transition for Future Industries.  She cleaned, packed, and stacked Asami’s belongings, making sure that they were tucked away safely and securely, out of the reach of nosy eyes and greedy fingers.  She demanded reports from the section heads, created invoices and filed payments, and checked up on projects and contracts, as she had always done.  If one person could single-handedly keep Future Industries from going belly up, Tamtu would be a leading candidate.

Closing the box with another heavy sigh, Tamtu added it to the growing stack.  Though she knew she had better things to do, she gave herself a moment to look out the picture window in Ms. Sato’s office.  The new building wasn’t as grand as the old Future Industries tower, the offices not nearly so plush, but then again its shorter stature was probably half of what had saved it from Kuvira’s spirit weapon.  And Ms. Sato had made the new building home.  That was part of what Tamtu admired about the younger woman.  No matter the circumstances, Ms. Sato had a knack for rebounding and taking everyone along with her.  Ms. Sato had brought this company back from the brink of ruin more times than one with barely more than sheer force of will.  It made Tamtu proud to work for such a person.

As Tamtu looked down at the half broken city below her, she wondered if Republic City would ever truly understand what it had lost.  More than half the cranes dotting the skyline, busy repairing and rebuilding the city, belonged to Future Industries.  Most were running at cost or had been donated by Ms. Sato.  Turning a profit was important, Ms. Sato had said, but the well-being of the city came first.  Tamtu’s head drooped for a moment in silent grief.  She would miss the young engineer fiercely.

Below, a lone figure crossed the street.  Tamtu gave the person a cursory glance, her gaze sliding away, only to snap back a moment later.  She frowned.  _That’s not possible_.  Tamtu placed her hands on the glass and pressed her nose to the window’s surface, craning to get a better view.  Despite it being supposedly impossible, there was no mistaking the silhouette of the woman who’d brought this city to ruin.  Tamtu stiffened.  Kuvira was loose.  That awful woman who’d wrecked Republic City and killed Ms. Sato’s father was free.  Indignant anger flared in Tamtu’s chest.  _This simply will not do_.

With prim outrage she stepped quickly out of Ms. Sato’s office and to her desk, her hand reaching for the phone receiver.  Before she could pick it up though, it rang beneath her hand.  Years of habit kicked in as she answered without thinking.

“Future Industries, Ms. Sato’s office.  How may I help you?”  The words poured out of her smoothly.

“Tamtu?  It’s Asami,” said the voice on the other line.

The train of Tamtu’s thoughts came to a complete, screeching halt.  She froze, her mouth open, her hand gripping the receiver with white knuckles.  She knew that voice, had listened to it for four years in all of its various tones and moods.  And even more than spotting one of Republic City’s most notorious war criminals, she knew it was utterly impossible.  _Oh spirits, I must be having a break down_ , thought Tamtu faintly, her head dizzy, _just like my mother did at my age.  She always warned I should stay away from the kimchi._   Tamtu weakly slumped into her chair and wiped the sweat off her brow with a shaky hand.

“Tamtu?” called the voice.  It really did sound like Ms. Sato.  Tamtu straightened her spine, suddenly furious.

“I don’t know who you think you are,” hissed Tamtu, “but there is nothing funny about this horrible joke.  I will not have you besmirching the name of that wonderful woman.  Ms. Sato was worth more than ten of you little flea-brained pranksters.  If I find out who you are-“

“Tamtu!” shouted the voice, cutting the secretary off.  “Listen to me.  You still have that little Shi I gave you a couple years ago.  I brought it back when I returned from one of my trips to the Earth Kingdom.  I said it reminded me of you, because of how protective you are of me.  You scowled and pretended to hate it, saying that you looked nothing like a grotesque fu dog, but you kept it anyway.  It’s in the back of your top right desk drawer.  I know because I saw you looking at it once when you didn’t know I was watching.”

Tamtu was struck dumb for the second time in a row in the last minute. Then she burst out, “Ms. Sato, you’re alive!”

“So I’ve been told, numerous times today in fact.”

Asami chuckled on the other end of the line.  The sound filled Tamtu with a glowing warmth, and she messily wiped at another tear that slid down her cheek.  Since when had she turned into such a silly woman?  Tamtu cleared her throat gruffly.

“I’m afraid I’ve packed up most of your office, Ms. Sato, though it shouldn’t take me long to unpack it.  So far, the rest of the company has been functioning as normal, but you really should make an appearance.  Lu and some of the other board members have been talking about selling,” said Tamtu sharply.

Asami laughed again.  “That soon, huh?  I’m sure you put your foot down about that?”

“Obviously, but there’s only so much I can do,” sighed Tamtu.  It truly was a shame that any of those numbskulls on the board had any power whatsoever.

“Good.  Tamtu, I will come in as soon as I can, I promise, but right now there are some bigger issues I need to take care of.  I need you to spread the word that I’m alive though.  Can you keep things held down there until I get back?”

“Of course,” answered Tamtu curtly, mildly affronted by the very idea that she would do anything other than that.

“I knew I could count on you.  I should go, but I’ll see you soon.”

A thought shot off like a flare in Tamtu’s brain.  She could smack herself for nearly forgetting, though in her defense, it wasn’t as if your deceased boss called you on the phone every day.  “Ms.  Sato, wait.  I’m not sure if I’m correct, but I’m almost positive that I saw General Kuvira on the street just a minute or two ago.  Would that happen to be part of your issues?”

The dead silence on the line let Tamtu know she’d struck a vein.  Slowly, her voice full of a barely contained mix of excitement and dread, Asami said, “Where did you see her?”

“She went into that old warehouse not three doors down from the office, that empty one right next to Mei Wong’s café.”

“I see,” said Asami.  “You may have just solved all my problems, Tamtu.  Thank you.  I’ve got to go.  Oh, and Tamtu?”

“Yes?”

“Call the police and let them know where you saw Kuvira.”

“I’ll be sure to do that.  You will be careful with yourself this time, Ms. Sato, won’t you?  I’d truly hate to have to unpack your office, only to pack it up again,” said Tamtu sternly.

“I missed you too,” said Asami warmly.  She gave a final laugh and the line went dead.

Tamtu momentarily depressed the plunger with one finger, then lifted it, getting a dial tone.  She dialed the police, delivering her report in clear, crisp tones.  When she was done, she carefully replaced the receiver in its cradle.  She straightened a few already impeccably neat stacks of paper on her desk and checked to make sure her pens and pencils were in order.  She reached into her top right drawer and brought out a small stone statue.  The solid heft of it felt good in her hand.  She placed it precisely on the corner of her desk, where anyone wishing to approach her or Ms. Sato would see it prominently displayed.  Then she stood, adjusted her skirt and blouse, and headed for her office door.  She let a small smile slip across her features as she locked the door behind her.  There was an entire company that needed to know that Ms. Asami Sato was very much alive.

***

Lifting the hatch cover quietly, Korra peered into the semi-darkness, the building’s interior dim in comparison to the afternoon’s glare.  Somewhere in the distance, sirens began to wail.  Korra ignored them, straining her ears to pick up any noises from within.  All she could make out was a narrow ladder ending on a catwalk.  She heard excited voices, but they seemed far away.  She risked leaning in, scanning the immediate area.  That catwalk appeared empty.  She swung down from the rim of the hatch, and dropped quietly, using air bending to slow her descent.  A bit of metal bending eased the hatch cover shut behind her.  Dropping into a low crouch, she waited until her eyes could adjust to the lighting.

The impression of a large room clarified into the details of an abandoned warehouse.  Poking her head over the catwalk’s railing, Korra took in the layout.  Military cots were set up in one corner as a makeshift sleeping area, while a large table and several drawing boards with pictures and maps indicated a planning area.  Part of the room had been carved out for half a dozen mech suits in various states of disrepair depending on the suit.  A few piles of scrap metal littered the room, though whether they were intended for use by the metal benders in the group, or simply leftover from a cleanup effort, Korra couldn’t tell.   In the center of the room, a tight knot of people crowded around Kuvira, some laughing, some talking, all smiling and rejoicing in the return of their lost leader.  Letting them voice their adoration without interruption, Kuvira stood silently among them, a cryptic half smile on her face while her eyes swept the room intently.

Finally, Kuvira held up a hand and the chattering ceased almost instantly.

“Fellow citizens of the Earth Empire, I am very happy to see you again.  First, I know you may have been confused by recent events, first with my capture, and then with my apparent resignation to my punishment at my trial.  That farce they called justice would have happened with or without my compliance.  Unfortunately, deception was the only option left to me, and by convincing my captors to the sincerity of my remorse, I was able to escape, with the help of your fellow soldiers,” said Kuvira.  The earnestness in Kuvira’s voice sent chills down Korra’s spine, and she considered what a huge mistake she may have made in releasing the general.

“You see, despite the failed attempt to bargain for my freedom with the life of Asami Sato, circumstances brought me together with the soldiers that were captured from that operation.  With their brave sacrifice, I was set free.  I assure you that their courage will not go unremembered.  Our purpose remains strong, our conviction firm.  We will take back what is our birthright!”  The soldiers cheered as Kuvira’s voice rose to a sweeping crescendo.

Hot anger rose in Korra at the mention of Asami’s name, at the thought that the people below her were the cause of Asami’s death.  _How dare that snake utter Asami’s name!_

Kuvira started issuing orders as if she’d never been gone, as if her army still consisted of thousands, not the paltry thirty odd people gathered in front of her.  Soldiers went scrambling, one of them to a radio by the planning area.

“Call in the scouting parties,” Korra could hear Kuvira say.  “I want everyone together before we take on our new mission.”

The soldier on the radio flipped a few switches.  The radio whirred to life and the soldier immediately began speaking, her voice barely hiding her excitement.  Others grabbed maps and charts, pulling them from various cubbies and spreading them across the large table.  Still more dragged chairs from all corners, readying them by the table in preparation for the briefing.  Kuvira watched over the busy proceedings with an air of supreme self confidence, her hands clasped behind her back.   Korra gripped the railing, trying to restrain herself.  She didn’t know whether to trust Kuvira or not, but the fact remained that Kuvira had done exactly as she had promised.  The scattered soldiers would soon be on their way.

Directly below Korra, two soldiers gathered more chairs, talking animatedly to each other.

“I can’t believe General Kuvira is actually back!” exclaimed one, stacking one chair on top of the other.

“I know!” concurred the other, beaming under his moustache.  “I guess I’ll have to shave this thing off.  She always was a stickler for maintaining appearances.”

“I don’t care what she has us doing, as long as we go back to winning.  That little snot Wu thinks he can fracture the empire without a thought for the consequences.  No respect for tradition,” grumbled the first one.

“I’ve got to say it, despite the Sato mission going south, it looks like things have turned out for the best.  Who knew we’d end up knocking off that Sato brat _and_ getting the general back all in one go?” replied the second soldier, laughing.

Blinding anger burned white hot in Korra’s chest and veins at the soldier’s flippant comments.  Blood thundered in her head, her heartbeat pounding in her temples.  Without even realizing she was doing it, she bent the metal of the catwalk under her feet to one side.  She dropped in between the two soldiers, who shouted in surprise.  A hard stomp of her boot and two massive pillars of earth shot through the floor, flinging the soldiers back into the warehouse.  Throwing long, hot bursts of fire before her, Korra charged into the warehouse, swinging at any soldier near her.

“It’s the Avatar!” someone shouted.  “Stop her!”

“Protect the general!” another voice cried.

Shards of metal rocketed toward her from every direction.  Korra twisted and dodged, bending the metal out and around her, slinging it back around toward the metal benders.  She fought hard, sweat pouring down her as she defended herself from blows of metal and earth, while raining down her own shower of fire and air, earth and metal.  Her fists and feet never ceased moving as she spun and leapt, her muscles straining with the effort.  Yet for every soldier she knocked down, two more seemed to appear.  They swarmed like an angry hornets nest.  She was surrounded in a matter of seconds.

“Stop!” boomed Kuvira’s voice over the melee.

The room fell silent save for the panting of the combatants.  Kuvira emerged from the line of soldiers, slowly approaching Korra with a smile on her face.

“So here we are again, Avatar,” Kuvira said.  The general raised her hands.  Two piles of scrap metal rose behind her.  Korra tensed, preparing to strike.

Then, Kuvira winked.

Korra lifted an eyebrow.

The soldiers leaned in staring at the two women.

The piles of metal bloomed as fragments flew everywhere.  Kuvira stepped and whirled around, her hands and arms swaying and dancing through complicated forms, as waves of soldiers were knocked aside or bound up by the metallic onslaught.  Caught off guard, many of the soldiers were slow to react as their general pummeled them.  Some ran, some stared.  By the time a few thought to fight back, Korra had rejoined the fight, adding her own considerable bending to the offensive. 

In moments it was over.  Every soldier in the building lay bound, stunned, unconscious, or cowering in surrender.  No noise echoed in the warehouse save a few groans and coughs from the defeated.  Metal was strewn everywhere, and dust and ash fluttered like snowflakes in the air.

“It’s done,” said Kuvira solemnly.

“It’s not done yet,” snarled Korra, catching sight of the soldier who’d proclaimed Asami’s death a good thing.

Korra stormed across the room.  She lifted her open hand upward, palm first.  A column of rock burst through the floor, lifting him off the ground.  She closed her fingers and the rock closed around him, trapping his arms and chest.  He struggled weakly, but it was a futile, pathetic attempt.  As she drew near, she formed two blades of flame in her fists.  She looked at him, the ridiculous coward, all wide-eyed with fear, who knew nothing about Asami Sato and yet had the audacity to rejoice in her passing.  She looked at him and felt nothing, but the cold, empty chasm in her chest where her grief roared like winds in a vast cavern.  He was an insect, vermin who didn’t deserve to live when Asami was gone.  Out of the corner of her eye, the dark Avatar leered at her.  Korra raised the blades, the light of the flames reflecting in the soldier’s terrified eyes.

A metal beam hit her in the side with enough force to send her flying.  She landed hard, the flames in her fists extinguished.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” bellowed Korra, shooting Kuvira a venomous stare.

The general stood calmly over her, hands once again clasped behind her back.  Her green eyes were serene with just a hint of sadness.

“I told you, Korra, I would help you in any way I could.  Now, I’m helping to save you from yourself.”

***

The Satomobile’s engine roared and the tires screeched as Asami gunned it out coming out of the turn.  She shifted gears and punched the gas, and the car flew down the almost empty road.  She supposed it was an upside to an invasion-induced near apocalypse – the streets of Republic City had a lot less traffic these days.  She threw a look at her passengers.  Beside her in the front Bolin looked like he might actually be sick.  Mako gripped the back of Bolin’s seat with white-knuckled intensity, though from fear, nausea, or anger she wasn’t sure, with nothing but his determined frown to go on.  She’d barely waited for the two of them to get in the car when she’d gotten off the phone with Tamtu, but she was glad they were there now.  She had no idea what they were walking into, and the brothers always made her feel a bit more secure.

Asami took the final turn, the car sliding sideways a little before the tires caught and the vehicle shot forward.  Within seconds she came to a screeching halt in front of the warehouse.  As she cut the engine, the silence descended only to be replaced by shouts coming from inside the building and the wail of sirens closing in on them.  No doubt Lin’s squads as they raced to the scene after Tamtu’s call.

No sooner had they leapt from the car than they were confronted by three Earth Empire soldiers emerging from an alleyway.  The soldiers almost seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see the soldiers, but the rebels were quick to recover.  Asami rolled out of the way as a chunk of earth the size of her head smashed into the door of the Satomobile, leaving a sizeable dent.  She yanked on her shock glove, moving to join the fight, but Mako shouted over his shoulder, “Asami, go!  Find Korra!  We’ve got them.”

Asami turned and ran for the warehouse door, catching a glimpse of Bolin knocking two of the soldiers flat with a slab of rock.  She smiled.  The boys could definitely handle themselves.

She raced along a corridor lined with offices.  She could see the hallway opening into the main bay ahead.  Suddenly she was surrounded by a flood of Earth Empire soldiers.  She nearly leveled one with her shock glove before she realized that the soldiers were fleeing from the warehouse, most of them barely sparing her a glance as they rushed past.  A few of the soldiers looked to be fairly roughed up, with torn uniforms and bloodied or bruised faces.  All shared the ghostly pale look of panic, rats fleeing the sinking ship.

Holding her shock glove at the ready, Asami cautiously emerged into the main bay.  The place looked like a war zone, which in a way it was.  The room was full of twisted metal and piles of rock and rubble.  Chunks of the floor were missing where earth had been ripped from the foundation.  Scorch marks crisscrossed the floor and walls.  More soldiers, those incapable of flight, lay among the wreckage.  Asami heaved a sigh of relief that none of them looked dead.  Perhaps she wasn’t too late.

Her relief turned sour when she caught sight of the epicenter of the chaos in the room.  Korra and Kuvira battled each other, metal and earth whipsawing around the two as they attempted to bludgeon each other.  Asami ran forward, angling for Kuvira, when a sudden realization made her almost tumble to a halt.  Her blood ran cold.  Kuvira wasn’t actually fighting.  Sure, the general avoided Korra’s thrusts, exploding earth away from her and deflecting metal into harmless trajectories.  But she wasn’t counter-attacking, even when obvious opportunities presented themselves.  This was all Korra.  Powerful rage distorted the Avatar’s features as she pummeled Kuvira from all sides.  If any of the attacks made it through, they would be deadly.  Asami’s heart caught in her throat.  _No, Korra, no._

Without warning, Kuvira stumbled, her heel catching on a piece of slag that she hadn’t seen behind her.  As she staggered, Korra pounced, blades of fire sprouting from her fists.  Asami screamed the Avatar’s name.  Amazingly, Kuvira twisted away at the last moment, throwing up a shield of metal to block Korra’s strike.  Yet, the Avatar’s momentum carried her forward and the two collided.  They went down in a heap together.  The two women thrashed and wrestled with each other, grappling like a pair of non-benders.  Fists flew, striking flesh with a dull thud.  Kuvira tried to use her longer reach, but Korra fought like a wild animal, her lips curled back in a frozen snarl that was positively feral and Asami knew it would be over far too soon.  She hurtled forward, trying to reach them in time.

***

_Now, I’m helping to save you from yourself._

The words echoed in Korra’s head.  They taunted her. 

“Are you kidding me?!” shouted Korra.  “You want to help save me – from myself?!  I don’t need your help.”

Kuvira shook her head sadly.  “Korra you’re out of control.  I’m trying to stop you from doing something that you’ll regret.”

“I’m in complete control,” hissed Korra.

“That’s exactly what I used to tell myself,” Kuvira shot back.  “How do you think I ended up getting so far from the right path?  I didn’t let people help me when I needed it.  Instead I locked myself away, calling it protection.  Now, you’re the one who needs help, Korra.  You said it yourself, you won before because you had good people by your side.  You still have those good people, and they want to help you.  I’m sure Asami would want you-”

“Don’t you say her name!” screamed Korra as she flung herself forward, blasting a wave of earth before her.  “It’s because of you that her father’s dead.  It’s because of you that she’s dead!  If your soldiers hadn’t been trying to free you, none of this would’ve happened!”

Korra pressed the attack, bending tremendous amounts of metal and earth around her.  Kuvira fought back, but Korra was merciless.  She threw everything she could think of at Kuvira.  The general inched back and Korra could sense her faltering.  She poured it on, rage and adrenaline fueling her, until everything was a blur.  Kuvira stumbled, and Korra lunged.  It should have ended it, but instead her muscles protested as she hit a wall of metal thrown up before her.  She thought she heard someone scream.  She growled out her own frustration as she thrust the metal aside, reaching for Kuvira.

And then it wasn’t about bending anymore.  It just became two woman trying to beat the living hell out of each other, Korra against Kuvira (except Kuvira wasn’t really fighting back, was she?).  It was muscle and bone, split skin and blood on the knuckles, sweat and breath, rage dripping out of every pore.  It was hate and desperate need and the hollow spot in her chest that just wouldn’t close.  And just behind it all, _she_ stood, the other Avatar, with a dark smile and white eyes and that chain still wrapped around her wrist like some horrible trophy.  Korra could see _her_ and feel _her_ , and _she_ wasn’t there to fight Korra anymore.  _She_ goaded Korra on, feeding the fire in Korra’s blood with silent promises of retribution.  It was a distorted haze of fury and pain, and Korra just kept hitting.

Then Korra blinked.  She looked down.  Her hand was buried in Kuvira’s shirt, holding the limp general half off the ground, blood dripping from Kuvira’s split lip and a nasty gash above her eye.  Kuvira wasn’t fighting, wasn’t struggling.  She was barely conscious, yet she peered back up at Korra with hazy eyes that dripped with pity and resignation.  Kuvira pitied her.  Two voices inside her shouted simultaneously – ‘ _What are you doing?! This isn’t you!_ ’ tangling with ‘ _How dare she pity me!_ ’ – ending together in a confused snarl that her mind couldn’t pick apart.  She lifted her fist, hesitated.  The shadow next to her snapped her chain, urging Korra on.  Korra’s fist rose a little higher, then fell a few inches.  A tiny voice whispered into the swirling fray of her mind, _This isn’t what Asami would want._   The thought of Asami caused her hand to drop to her side in confusion and shame.

“Korra.”

Korra’s head snapped up, Kuvira slipping from her suddenly nerveless fingers.  Korra couldn’t believe the sight before her – Asami standing a few feet away from Korra in her engineer’s suit and shock glove, her eyes fixed on Korra, brimming full with emotion.  It had to be a mirage, a trick of a mind that had finally shattered.  But Asami looked so solid, so believable, down to the whisp of dark hair escaping her ponytail and the smudge of dirt on her cheek.  The thing in the shadows growled as it faded away.

“Are you real?” Korra whispered tentatively, her voice quivering with desperate hope.

“I am,” the vision answered.

“You can’t be,” said Korra despondently.  “I looked for you, but I couldn’t find you.”

“I know, Korra, but I’m as real as you are,” said Asami.

Asami pulled off the shock glove, dropping it to the ground, and took a step toward her, a hand outstretched.   Korra took a frightened step back, suddenly afraid that this was all a vicious delusion.  She wouldn’t be able to bear it when Asami’s hand finally reached for her and there would be nothing there.

“No!  It’s not possible,” argued Korra, hot tears splashing down her cheeks.

Asami took another step.  “Korra, you have to trust me.  Do you trust me?”

“Always,” breathed Korra.  “It’s me I don’t trust.  You’re just a figment of my imagination.”

“If I’m a figment, could I do this?”  Asami reached for her.

“No, stop-“

Korra’s panicked protest broke off as cool fingertips traced her cheek.  They were firm yet gentle as they tenderly swiped at a few of her tears.  She cupped the back of Asami’s hand with her own.  The skin felt smooth and supple under her palm.  It felt real.  Korra trembled, all her emotions colliding at once, the darkness in her disappearing in a bright, painful starburst that left her weak and gasping for air.

“Asami?” Korra murmured.

“I’m here.”

Long, lean arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her into an engulfing embrace.  Korra fell into the hug, her arms wrapping around Asami’s back, latching on to her so tightly Asami grunted.  Korra buried her face in Asami’s shoulder, the fabric rough and smelling of soot and engine oil and light perfume, but Korra didn’t care because the scent was purely Asami.  Tears streamed freely down her face, soaking the burgundy cloth.  Under her ear she could hear Asami’s heart, strong and steady.  The sound was the best music Korra had ever heard in her life.  Korra’s heart pounded out its own thunderous harmony.

“I lost you,” Korra whispered hoarsely.  “I couldn’t find you.”

“So, I found you instead.  I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” came Asami’s voice, muffled by Korra’s hair, full of soft determination.

Asami felt like she was everywhere, surrounding Korra, protecting her, enveloping her in a bubble of safety and quietude that eased the ache in her chest and in her bones.  Asami’s fingers cradled the back of Korra’s head.  The last vestiges of Korra’s composure crumbled and she sobbed into Asami, great, breaking waves of pain and relief flowing from her body with every choking cry.  Asami somehow held them both up as Korra leaned further and further into her, Asami’s chin resting on the top of Korra’s head.  Asami rocked them ever so gently.

“I’ve got you, Korra.  I’m not going to let you go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Before anybody comments on Tamtu and kimchi - no, I don't have anything against kimchi. In fact I love it. This comment came about because of a weird conversation I had with someone who insisted that fermented foods were dangerous, despite the many studies that show that eaten regularly, they are in fact very healthy for you (except the alcoholic kind of fermentation). Also, yeah, it's Korean, not Chinese, but eh, the Avatar world seems very pan-Asian to me, so I figured what the heck.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: This is a long chapter, but I hope you'll find it enjoyable!

Asami found Korra on the railing of the meditation pagoda by the sea, her knees drawn up and her gaze focused on the water as the sun slowly sank below the horizon.  Watching from a distance, Asami considered how many times she’d found Korra like this.  The Avatar always seemed to escape to this one place.  Asami wondered if Korra was drawn to her native element, if the expanse of the sea stretched before her anchored and soothed her, reminding her of Southern Water Tribe roots, of home.  Asami hoped it helped her now.

The trip back to Airbender Island had been a tense affair.  The police had swarmed the warehouse a scarce minute or two after Asami had reunited with Korra.  She’d stood amidst the whirlwind holding Korra while the police rounded up Earth Empire soldiers all around them.  She broke their embrace only once, when the officers led by Lin prepared to take custody of Kuvira.  She had waved the police chief off for a moment, ignoring Lin’s glare.  Still holding one of Korra’s hands, she’d crouched before Kuvira.  The general lay on her back, propping herself up unsteadily on her elbows, her eyes a bit dazed.  She’d glanced at Asami, her eyes widening in recognition, then turned away, a look of shame crossing her features before she’d ducked her head.  Asami placed a hand on Kuvira’s knee.  The general met her eyes again, her expression one of surprise.

“Thank you,” Asami had said, hoping her tone conveyed everything she couldn’t say.

“Even after everything I’ve done to you and your family?” Kuvira had asked, looking stunned.

“I can’t forgive you yet for my father.  I don’t know if I ever will.  But I saw what you did for Korra.  You didn’t fight back when you could have.  Today, you very well may have saved my family,” Asami had replied, giving Korra’s hand and Kuvira’s knee a strong squeeze at the same time.

Kuvira’s eyes had misted up as the police dragged her to her feet and carried her away.  Asami had watched them go, her arms snaked around Korra’s waist.  The Avatar, sapped of her strength, had simply leaned into Asami, resting her head against Asami’s shoulder, eyes closed.

After that, Mako and Bolin had shuttled them out of the warehouse and gotten them to Airbender Island with a minimal amount of fuss.  Asami wasn’t even certain how they’d done it exactly, so wrapped up was she in Korra.  She didn’t think that they’d broken physical contact once the whole way home, though they barely talked.  As soon as they’d arrived on the island, everyone poured in, each wanting to talk to either Korra or Asami.  Fortunately, Pema must have seen the panicked look in Asami’s eyes or the defeated slump in Korra’s shoulders, because either way, the normally patient matriarch shooed everyone away with a few stern words and a meaningful glare.  Even Tenzin had been held off by his intractable wife.  Asami was eternally grateful.

It was then that Korra had asked for a few moments alone.  Asami consented begrudgingly, the haunted look in Korra’s eyes filling her with concern, but Korra pleaded.  It would be just a few minutes.  Asami had watched Korra trudge off in the direction of the garden, her eyes trailing after Korra.  Five minutes turned into ten, then fifteen.  When the time had stretched into more than half an hour, Asami had set out after her.  She respected Korra’s need for time to herself, but they were all in this mess in large part because Korra still couldn’t talk when she needed to the most, and Asami would be damned if she’d let that pattern persist.  She hadn’t practically come back from the dead just to lose Korra in the end because of the Avatar’s stubborn reticence.

So here she was, staring at the woman she loved, wondering how they were going to fix this whole mess.  It would probably be a rocky path, but she hadn’t fallen in love with Korra because being with her was going to be easy.  Even without the gift, duty and burden of being Avatar, Korra was a challenge.  Stubborn, defiant, hot-headed – there were times she could make Asami want to scream in frustration.  But those very same characteristics were also what she loved about Korra – the ability to stand up for what she believed regardless of other people’s opinions, the unyielding loyalty to her friends, the fierce protectiveness of those she loved and of those who couldn’t fend for themselves.  Asami knew it was worth it.  And right now, she just needed to take the first step.

Asami cleared her throat as she approached the pagoda, warning Korra that she was there.  Korra started, hopping down from the railing, but gave Asami a half smile when she realized who it was.

“It’s beautiful tonight,” remarked Asami, not knowing where to begin.  It truly was beautiful, the cool evening breeze blowing in gently off the water, mellowing the heat of the day.

“Mmm,” Korra hummed in agreement.

They stood together silently, looking out over the water, shoulders almost touching.  As the last sliver of the sun slid into the water, Asami gingerly reached for Korra’s hand.  She was taken aback when Korra slipped just out of reach, hiding her hands behind her back as she leaned against one of the pillars.  Korra stared at the ground, scuffing the stone with the toe of one of her boots.  The reaction stung Asami more than she cared to admit.

“Korra-“

“Asami, please don’t.”

“But-“

“I can’t do this right now, Asami, please,” Korra begged.  The tone made Asami’s heart ache.  She almost turned to leave, but something glued her to the spot.

Suddenly she was flush with anger, her patience pushed beyond its limit.  She narrowed her eyes as she stalked up to Korra.  She poked Korra hard in the chest with her finger.  “I don’t care if you ‘can’t do this right now’, because now is all we have.  So you’re going to talk to me whether you like it or not!”

Korra’s head shot up, a shocked expression plastered across her features.

“I’ve had a ridiculously long couple of days,” continued Asami angrily, “and right now I could really use some help here.  I really need the woman I love to grow up and tell me what the hell is going on in that head of hers.  Because all I’ve wanted since I woke up was to get back to you, and now you’re pushing me away and that really hurts!”

Asami glared at Korra.  Korra shrank under her tirade, the stunned look growing with each word.  Asami waited for Korra to speak, each moment of silence grating on her nerves.

“You love me?” Korra finally breathed out, her voice full of wonder.

Asami looked at Korra flabbergasted, her expression softening.  “Of course I love you.  I mean, I know I’ve never said it before, but I thought it was pretty obvious.  I did almost follow you to the South Pole.  After that I hoped it was self evident.”

“You already loved me back then?”  The awe in Korra’s voice just seemed to grow.  The intensity with which Korra stared at her made Asami squirm.

“Yeah, that long ago.  Before that even,” confirmed Asami, feeling her cheeks flood with heat.  “Back then I thought it was pretty one-sided, but yeah, I knew.”

Korra rubbed her neck, stepping back to the railing.  Asami couldn’t read the look in her eyes.  Korra’s voice was quiet when she spoke.  “It wasn’t one-sided, even back then.  It was new and confusing and I didn’t know what to do about it.  Then Zaheer happened…and well, you know…”

“Oh, I know.  Which is why I can’t stand you shutting me out now.  Please, Korra, talk to me.  What happened while I was gone?” pleaded Asami.

Korra’s head dropped into her hands as she leaned against the railing.  Her voice was muffled as she replied, “You weren’t just gone, Asami.  You were dead.  Or at least I thought you were.  And it was my fault.”

Asami snorted, “I don’t see how that was your fault at all.”

“Don’t you?”  Korra’s head popped back up.  She threw Asami a momentary look, before returning her gaze to the water.  “It was my responsibility as the Avatar to secure Republic City, to ensure that Kuvira’s forces were no longer a threat.  Instead I allowed them to build their new headquarters a stone’s throw from your office.  How is that not my fault?”

“Korra, you couldn’t have known.  Most of the troops surrendered without a fight.  And it wasn’t just you that missed them – Lin’s patrols, Tenzin’s air surveillance, even Raiko’s people overlooked them.”

“Raiko’s people are a useless pack of-“

Asami held up a hand to cut off Korra’s angry rant, but she appreciated seeing a bit of Korra’s fire back in her eyes.  “All I’m saying is that this isn’t all on you.  And it was a mistake.  You can’t be everywhere all at once, Korra, even if you are the Avatar.”

Korra clammed up again, her face screwed up in frustration.  The troubled look was back in Korra’s eyes.

“This isn’t just about what happened to me, is it?” asked Asami softly.

Korra sucked in a shaky breath, held it, and let it out in a rush.  “Did Mako tell you that I tried to find you using the spirit vines?”

“Yes,” Asami affirmed.

“I still don’t know why it didn’t work.  It should have worked.”

Asami shrugged.  “Based on what happened when, I think I was airborne then, or possibly in the Spirit World, or maybe both.  You once told me that the spirit vines work because they run through the earth connecting everything, that Toph used them like she used her earth bending to see.  But even Toph is blind to something that’s in the air.  Maybe I was just out of reach.”

Korra let out a humorless laugh, repeating, “Just out of reach.  I wish I’d thought of that.  Maybe then I wouldn’t have flipped out like I did.”

“Ah,” replied Asami, “I see.”

“I don’t think you do, Asami.  I lost it.  When I couldn’t find you, it was like everything inside me turned to dust.  I slipped into the Avatar state without even realizing it.  I’ve never done that before unless I was nearly unconscious or in serious danger.  If Lin hadn’t knocked me out, I would have…I would have…”

Korra’s words trailed off.  There was no need to finish the statement.  They both knew what had almost come to pass.  Asami covered Korra’s hand and this time Korra didn’t pull away.  It was a small step.

“I saw _her_ again,” Korra said after a moment.

“Her, who?” asked Asami, confused.

Korra sighed.  “The dark Avatar.  The one who used to haunt me after Zaheer, when I couldn’t go into the Avatar state, and after, when I was still afraid.”

“Oh.”  Asami pursed her lips thoughtfully.

“Just ‘oh’?” scoffed Korra.  “It seems like a bigger deal than that.”

“No, I know it is.  I just think it makes sense, don’t you?  After all, the dark Avatar was really an embodiment of your fears.”

“But I wasn’t afraid this time.  I was furious.  Asami, I’m pretty sure I hated those soldiers.  I know I hated Kuvira, at least for a moment,” Korra explained, her hand balling into a fist under Asami’s fingers.  Asami stroked the back of Korra’s hand with her thumb until the tight muscles released ever so slowly.

“If you think about it, hate is just fear at the base of it,” said Asami.

“But I learned to stop being afraid,” protested Korra.

“You learned to stop being afraid of your enemies, of being afraid of failing, of getting hurt,” corrected Asami gently.  “That doesn’t mean you’ve faced up to the fear of losing the people you love.  That’s a very different kind of fear.”

Korra gave Asami a lingering glance, her expression contemplative as she considered Asami’s words.  Asami congratulated herself for getting this far in the conversation.  Korra hadn’t run yet.  Korra gave her a crooked smile, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

“When did you get so smart, Ms. Sato?”

Asami chuckled before becoming serious again.  She gave Korra a wistful smile of her own.  “When my mother died, I was terrified of losing my father.  I wouldn’t let him out of my sight for weeks after she died.  But I was also like him for a while.  I hated the men who did that to our family.  I wanted to hurt them.  It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that I hated them because I was afraid of losing over and over again.  Once I let that fear go, I stopped hating.”

“How do you let that fear go?” asked Korra earnestly.

“For me, it was a matter of realizing that we don’t really lose the people we love.  Whether you believe that the soul carries on, or just that our loved ones live on in our hearts and our minds, it doesn’t matter.  Either way they’re always with us.  That was something my dad never learned, at least not until the end.”  A surge of sadness swept through Asami as she thought of her parents.  She believed every word she was saying to Korra, but it didn’t stop her from wishing that her parents still existed in the physical world, that she could speak to them or seek solace in their arms.  Korra rolled her hand over and interlaced their fingers, giving Asami’s hand a comforting squeeze.

Neither spoke for a moment, lost in their own thoughts.  Korra’s thumb traced circles over Asami’s skin.  Asami ached to pull Korra into her arms, but the tension evident in Korra’s posture held her back.  The Avatar might be slowly opening up, but too much too soon and she’d probably shut down completely.

Korra broke the silence.  “You’re a better person than I am, Asami.  You should be with someone who’s worthy of you.”

It was Asami’s turn to stare at Korra in astonishment.  “What on earth are you talking about?!”

“Asami, come on, you saw what I did back there.  I was a monster.  When I think about what I almost did, it makes me sick.  I was worse than your father.”  Korra squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her face with her free hand as if to scrub away the memories.

“You are insane if you think I’m letting you go,” insisted Asami.  She laid her other hand over their entwined fingers to emphasize her point.  “My father held onto his hate for years and years and nearly helped start a full scale war to punish innocent people.  You had a temporary lapse in the heat of the moment.  Those two things aren’t even comparable.”

“Why would you even want to be with me, after what you’ve seen me do?” Korra asked incredulously.  “I almost killed those soldiers, and when Kuvira tried to stop me, I went after her instead.  I don’t deserve the title of Avatar and I don’t deserve you.”

“Do you want to know what I saw?” asked Asami quietly.  Korra angled around to look at Asami, her eyes frightened.

“I saw you stop yourself from killing Kuvira,” said Asami.

Shaking her head, Korra argued, “I hesitated, that’s all.  You stopped me.”

“I know you think that, but if you had truly wanted to kill her, nothing I could say or do would have stopped you, Korra.  You stopped yourself.  You remembered who you were, who you are.  You, Korra,” Asami insisted firmly.

“It never should have gotten to that point.  I’m the Avatar!” protested Korra.

“And you’re also human.  As were all the Avatars who came before you.  Did you know Avatar Aang almost blew his friends off a mountainside when he discovered that the Fire Nation had killed all the other air benders?  At least you went after your so-called enemies, he almost hurt the people he cared most about.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Korra softly, a thoughtful expression on her face.  “How do you know that?”

“Katara wrote about it in her published journals about her early days with Aang.”  Asami suddenly grew shy.  “I got a copy of them.  I wanted to read about the lives of the other Avatars.”

“Why would you do that?” Korra asked, studying her with curiosity.

Asami blushed faintly.  “When you were cut off from the rest of the Avatar’s past lives, I wanted to see if there was a way I could help.  I know you’re more about learning by doing than learning by studying, so I figured I could read about them for you.  That way if you needed to understand something about your past lives…well, you know…”

Asami’s voice trailed off when she noticed Korra staring at her.  Embarrassed warmth rushed up into her cheeks.

“You did that for me?” whispered Korra, a strange glint in her eye.

“Yeah,” replied Asami, ducking her head.

Rough, warm hands cupped Asami’s cheeks, tenderly tilting her face up.  She gasped lightly when she realized Korra’s face was so close to hers, Korra’s eyes shining from a mix of love and tears.

“How do you do that?” asked Korra softly.  “How do you manage to take such good care of me?  I’ll never be able to do for you half of what you do for me.”

“Korra, you do more than you realize, but that’s not the point.  I love you for who you are, not what you do for me,” Asami said, her voice hushed, her lips mere inches from Korra’s lips.  She studied Korra’s eyes as the Avatar took her words in.  There was still disbelief there, but for the first time since she’d brought Korra home, there was also hope in Korra’s eyes.  It was enough for now.

Korra closed the distance between them, holding Asami’s cheeks as she brought her lips up to Asami’s.  The kiss was so hesitant and unsure that it nearly broke Asami’s heart.  Wrapping her arms around Korra’s waist, Asami drew the Avatar closer, keen to send wordless encouragement to Korra.  The hands on her cheeks slid down to the sides of her neck, the thumbs lightly brushing her jaw, but still the pressure of Korra’s lips remained light and uneven.  Asami could feel Korra’s uncertainty with every touch.  Asami’s hands traced soothing circles on Korra’s back.

Gingerly breaking the kiss, Asami peered into Korra’s face.  “Hey, are you OK?”

“I don’t know,” Korra admitted quietly, her eyes downcast.

“Come here,” Asami said, pulling Korra into her, winding her arms round Korra’s shoulders.

Korra’s hands dropped to her chest, and Korra sighed as she rested her head on Asami’s shoulder, her face turned in toward Asami’s throat.  Asami’s heart ached for the emotionally wounded Avatar.  She pondered how she would have behaved in Korra’s position.  She didn’t have Korra’s temper, and for better or for worse, Asami had lost enough people in her life that she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have gone into quite the tailspin Korra had, but the mere thought of losing Korra left her dizzy with grief.  The real thing would have been crippling.  She may have made her peace with the deaths of her parents, but she dreaded losing anyone else, Korra most of all.  If Korra felt near as much for her as she did for Korra, she knew the past few days must have been excruciating for Korra.

As Korra nestled in her arms, Asami took in the stars that were beginning to peek through the scattered clouds, coming out now that the twilight had faded into night.  The ocean breeze stirred the air around them, whispering in their clothing and playing with the few loose strands of her hair that had pulled free from her ponytail.  She relished the sensation, letting the sound of the sea and the touch of the wind wash through her, calming her.  She hoped Korra could find similar comfort.  Silently, Asami poured every ounce of love she could muster into the woman in her arms, praying for Korra to find some measure of peace in the tranquil night.

“Asami, do you think you can stay with me tonight?” whispered Korra into her neck, her breath warm on her skin.

Asami could have wept for how forlorn Korra sounded.  She didn’t though, instead tightening her hold on Korra as she said, “I can stay as long as you want me to.”

***

Korra stared at Asami’s sleeping form, the moonlight casting the engineer in shades of blue and white and black.  She’d awoken with her head on Asami’s chest, Asami’s arms curled protectively around her.  At first she’d stayed still, soaking in the solidity of Asami’s body beneath her, the smell of Asami’s skin, the way Asami’s chest rose and fell with each breath – everything that reassured her that Asami was alive.  A few hours of sleep seemed to have chased the worst of her demons away, and she felt herself to be on more stable ground.  Nowhere near perfect, but not spinning out of control anymore either.  She felt more like herself than she had in days.

Eventually she’d eased out of Asami’s embrace, propping herself up on an elbow as she studied the slumbering engineer.  It still amazed her, the way Asami treated her so gently when she’d acted like such a terror.  She had yet to come to grips with her own behavior, but Asami seemed to accept it so easily.  It confused Korra to no end, but the fact remained – Asami Sato loved her, regardless of what she’d done.

Despite her own better judgment, Korra reveled in that.  She craved Asami’s love.  If Korra was smart she should have run the other way.  Asami would no doubt be better off without her.  Yet her own heart drew her to Asami with a pull that it seemed she was powerless to resist.  If Asami wouldn’t turn her away, then Korra couldn’t bring herself to leave.  She only hoped she could be better than who she had been, for Asami’s sake, because she’d already caused enough damage in Asami’s world and she was sick of it.  But when it was like this, everything quiet and serene, with Asami laying there so beautiful, the lines of her face relaxed and peaceful, Korra felt like maybe, just maybe things could turn out alright for them.

Asami’s eyes fluttered open, her green eyes looking dark in the shadows of the room.

Korra smiled softly, her brooding dissipating when Asami squinted at her.  “Hi.”

“Hi,” replied Asami, her voice husky from sleep.  “How are you?”

“Better.”

Asami nodded groggily.  “That’s good.  So why are we awake again?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.  I was just thinking.  And I might have been admiring you just a little,” admitted Korra bashfully.

Asami’s eyes opened a little more and a tiny smile crept onto her lips.  “Only a little, huh?  I must be losing my touch.”

Korra chuckled.  The teasing felt good, normal, making it seem like the last four days had just been a hazy nightmare.  “You most definitely are not losing your touch.  You’re gorgeous.”

The direct compliment caught both of them off guard.  Korra blushed at her own boldness, while Asami bit her bottom lip in pleased embarrassment.  Asami reached up and pushed a lock of hair behind Korra’s ear.

“Asami, do you think…I mean, if you’re feeling up for it…I’d really like to kiss you now,” Korra blurted out awkwardly.  She winced at the clumsy words.

Asami gave her a warm smile.  “How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t need to ask permission?”

“I don’t know.  Maybe a couple more times at this rate,” replied Korra, returning Asami’s smile.

Dipping her head, Korra pressed her lips to Asami’s.  She meant to be gentle, take it easy.  After all, they’d both had a rough few days, and she didn’t want to push.  But then Asami’s fingers were in her hair and Asami’s mouth was latching onto hers.  Heat blossomed all over her body, nearly burning at the places where their bodies touched.  The kiss left her breathless and wanting.  She stared down at Asami in open-mouthed surprise when it ended.

“Korra, are you OK?  Spirits, I’m sorry.  I wasn’t thinking.  I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.  I just sort of forgot about everything for a minute,” Asami gushed out, her eyes wrinkling in concern.

“No, Asami, I’m fine, really.  It’s just sometimes when I kiss you, I get so overwhelmed, you know?  It’s so hard to stop,” Korra explained.

Asami’s face grew serious, her eyes exploring Korra’s face with sudden intensity.  “Why do you stop?”

“Well…I mean…,” Korra spluttered, her cheeks flushing again, “I thought, um, that maybe you…it seemed like the thing to do?”

“The thing to do?” repeated Asami, raising an eyebrow.

“To go slow.  I thought you might want to go slow,” replied Korra nervously, growing more flustered by the minute under Asami’s scrutiny.

“I see,” said Asami cryptically.

A tense silence settled over them for a moment, before Asami finally said, “Korra, I’m not trying to rush you into anything, especially with everything that’s happened lately.  But what if I told you I don’t want to go slow?”

Korra swallowed thickly.  Did Asami really mean what Korra thought she meant?  Korra’s heart skipped a beat.  Asami peered up at her with a mix of daring and uncertainty in her eyes.

“Are you sure?” murmured Korra.

Asami chuckled as her cheeks turned rosy.  “More than sure.  I’ve been sure since our second day in the Spirit World.  I just didn’t know how to tell you.  But now, after everything that’s happened over the last couple of days, I’m even more certain.  I love you and I want to be with you in every way I can be.  I get that we haven’t really been together all that long, but I’ve cared for you for so long, I guess I’m getting a little impatient.”

Korra’s mouth worked silently for a moment, trying to get out an appropriate response.  Her brain locked up as she tried to process Asami’s words.  Her heart rattled erratically in her chest.  Finally, she managed a strangled, squeaky, “Oh.”

Asami stared at her, as if waiting for more, but Korra’s mind was still spinning futilely.  She’d been so sure she needed to go slow for Asami’s sake that it had never occurred to her to ask herself how she felt about…going there.  Now that the opportunity was really here, it struck Korra hard just how much she desired Asami.  That realization and all the sensations it was provoking in her body were a bit overpowering.  As the silence stretched out Asami’s face fell a little and she knitted her eyebrows together in worry.  A hint of fear shown in her eyes.

“Was that too soon?” Asami asked quietly, the timidity in her voice snapping Korra out of her trance like state.

“Oh…oh, no!  No, not at all,” Korra quickly reassured Asami.  The whole conversation had her turning redder than a beet.  “God, Asami, I really want this – you, me, us – I just…well, I don’t have a lot of experience when it comes to the, um, physical side of things.  None, actually.”

Asami shrugged, a mischievous smile creeping onto her lips.  “I don’t either, but I think we can figure it out, don’t you?”

Korra nodded in agreement, not trusting herself to speak.  She let her eyes trace over Asami’s features, her gaze gliding down from the engineer’s face over the long, soft lines of her body under her shift.  Asami was so stunning it made Korra’s chest ache.  As she came back up to look at Asami’s face, she found her feelings reflected in Asami’s eyes, laced with something smoky and enticing.

Without a word, Korra rolled atop Asami, hungrily pressing her mouth to Asami’s.  Asami met her demand with one of her own, lips and tongues crashing together.  Korra felt Asami’s fingers dig into her hips as she sucked on Asami’s lower lip.  Their bodies moved together, setting up a rhythm of delicious friction that had Korra’s insides melting.  Asami roughly nudged her chin up and sucked at the side of her neck, forcing Korra’s eyes to flutter shut.  A deep groan welled up out of her.  Her fingers tangled in Asami’s night shift just below her breasts, wanting to fell the skin underneath.

Once again Asami seemed to anticipate her.  She pushed Korra up firmly and tugged at the hem of Korra’s tank top and pants.   “Take these off.”

Korra hurried to comply, fumbling her tank top up over her head.  She unlaced the drawstring on her sleeping pants with shaking fingers.  Asami giggled as she nearly flopped out of bed trying to get her pants off.  Korra flashed her a sheepish grin.  Somehow, Asami had managed to slip out of her gown with much more grace and poise.  Catching sight of the full expanse of Asami’s alabaster skin in the moonlight, Korra froze.  Her mouth went completely dry as she took in every lovely detail.  If Asami had been beautiful before she was indescribable now.

Under Korra’s intense scrutiny, Asami’s skin flushed and her pupils widened.  “Korra,” she whispered breathily, “you’re staring.”

“S-sorry,” Korra stammered, looking away quickly.

“Don’t be.  It’s just when you look at me like that I feel like I’m going to explode.  Come here.  You’re too far away.” 

Korra was kneeling barely two feet from Asami, but she knew exactly what Asami meant.  She crawled over to Asami, pausing when she had a hand on either side of Asami’s head and her knees on either side of one of Asami’s thighs.  She openly stared again, relishing the way Asami’s chest heaved with every rough breath.  The anticipation was agonizingly sweet.  Slowly, Korra lowered herself down onto Asami.  They both gasped as their bare skin touched for the first time.  Korra had never felt anything like it in her life, and waves of heat rolled through her as she settled her weight onto Asami’s frame.  Her senses were filled with nothing but Asami – the softness of her body, the sweet scent of her hair, the faint taste of salt on her skin, the low moans coming from her throat.

Time lost all meaning as they rocked together, stoking each other’s desire.  Asami’s leg suddenly pressing between Korra’s thighs had her struggling for breath, her mouth on Asami’s breast pulled soft cries from the engineer.  Hands and mouths roved over skin, leaving heat wherever they went.  Korra’s mind swam with the heady sensations filling her.

“Korra, please,” gasped Asami.

The spell broke with Asami’s plea, a sudden burst of nervousness nearly dousing the heat inside her.  Korra held herself up on both arms, looking down at Asami.  She wanted to give Asami everything, but she wasn’t sure she knew how.

“Asami, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Korra whispered in her smallest voice.  “I don’t want to mess this up.  I always seem to break everything.”

There.  She’d said it.  She was afraid.  The Avatar, master of the four elements, was terrified of touching Asami in the wrong way.  She blushed furiously, wanting to find a corner to hide in.  She couldn’t even meet Asami’s eyes.  The silence in the room after her confession threatened to swallow her whole.

Gentle fingers caressed her cheek, then slid down to her chin, and with firm pressure brought her head up to face Asami.  Green eyes glowed with sympathy and warmth in the moonlight.

“I don’t know what I’m doing either, but I promise you, nothing you could do right now could mess this up.  This is perfect.”

Korra still hesitated, her doubts surging through her.  But Asami was giving her the sweetest smile and her hands were stroking Korra’s neck and shoulders in a way that soothed and aroused her all at once.  So when Asami took Korra’s hand, long fingers molding to the back of her own, Korra didn’t resist.  With a slow, steady motion, Asami guided Korra’s hand down, over smooth skin and the faint ridges of ribs, over the slight swell of her stomach.  Korra’s breath hitched in her throat as she stared into Asami’s eyes.  Asami’s hand slid even lower, taking Korra with her…down…down…until…

“Oh Spirits, Asami,” Korra let out in a choked whisper.

Korra couldn’t believe that Asami could want her this much, but the proof was under her fingertips.  Her insides turned molten with desire, while her hand trembled where Asami had left it.  She got lost in the sensation of the silky, wet heat against her fingers until Asami gasped out her name again in a sound that was half-warning, half-plea, her eyes fixed intently on Korra.  The sound sent a shudder through the Avatar’s body.  She hadn’t known it was possible to want someone this much.

With instinct and Asami’s reactions to guide her, Korra began to explore.  Each moan and tremor from Asami led her on, teaching her how to love Asami.  As the flush of Asami’s skin deepened and her cries grew louder, needier, Korra’s confidence swelled.  She marveled at the ability to draw out Asami’s pleasure.  Soon, much sooner than Korra had expected, Asami’s passion peaked, and she shouted Korra’s name while gripping Korra’s back almost painfully.  The flutter of smooth muscles contracting around Korra’s fingers nearly sent her over the edge with Asami, and the two lay wrapped around each other, breathing hard against one another.  Asami’s whole body quivered as she pressed into Korra.  Korra wrapped protective arms around her, pulling her close.

“Wow,” said Asami quietly after a few minutes, once the trembling had passed.  “That was incredible.”

“You’re incredible,” replied Korra, kissing Asami’s damp forehead.  “I love you, Asami.”

“I love you too,” answered Asami.  She tilted her head back enough to catch Korra’s eyes.  “It’s kind of nice to finally get to say it, isn’t it?”

“Definitely.”  Korra closed her eyes, simply taking in the blissful feeling of Asami in her arms.  They rested silently together.

“Korra?”

“Hmm?” replied Korra lazily.

“I really want to touch you now.”

Korra’s eyes popped open.  “That would be really nice, but you don’t need to do that.”

“Yeah, I kind of do.”  Asami’s eyes took on an almost predatory gleam.  The engineer smiled slyly at Korra.  The Avatar swallowed with some difficulty.

Before Korra could protest (and really why would she?), Asami had her on her back.  Asami captured her mouth in a rough, consuming kiss.  The feel of Asami’s bare body on hers sent electric shocks down her spine while Asami’s lips and tongue played with hers.  Then, Asami was moving down her body with a series of open mouthed kisses that left a trail of fire on Korra’s skin.  Korra ran her hands through Asami’s hair trying to anchor herself, the sleek locks curling around her fingers.  A few kisses across her hip bone had her moaning loudly.  Asami nudged her thighs apart, sliding even farther down.

 _What the…?_ Korra lifted her head to look at Asami questioningly.

Asami dipped her head between Korra’s legs.

_Oh._

_Oh, spirits!_   Korra’s world tilted on its axis, her head falling back as sensations she’d never even dreamed of surged through her body.  Korra sucked in breath after ragged breath, never quite getting enough air.  Her mind went utterly blank, wiped clean by the things Asami was doing with her tongue.  Asami’s touch sent Korra spiraling out of control, but it was so different than the loss of control she’d experienced over the last several days.  That was pain, dark and heavy and bleak.  This felt like freedom, like absolution, washing away the dark stains of those events.  Sure, this was pleasure, but it was also so much more.  She could feel Asami’s love for her pouring in, filling her inside, a wave that rose higher and higher, pushing everything else out.  Korra had never felt this close to anyone in her life.  Like this, she was safe.  Like this, the world was whole and beautiful.  Like this, she wasn’t the Avatar, but simply a young woman falling so very deeply in love.  There was no past, no future, just now.   No one but her and Asami.  The wave crested and she let out an incoherent cry, her muscles drawing so tight before finally letting go completely.

Korra collapsed into a state of boneless bliss, only vaguely aware of Asami rising up over her.  She felt the light kisses that Asami planted all over her face and she smiled a broad smile that made her cheeks hurt.  It took her a moment before she realized Asami was speaking.

“Korra, are you OK?”

“Why wouldn’t I be OK?” murmured Korra, puzzled.

“You’re crying.”  Asami peered down at her with apprehension clouding her green eyes.

“Really?”  Korra wiped at her cheek with one hand.  Sure enough her fingers came away wet.  She stared at her fingertips for a moment, before giving Asami what was sure to be her goofiest grin.  “It’s OK, Asami.  I’m wonderful.”

***

Later in the evening – or rather, very early in the morning – Korra and Asami lazed in the bed together, their bodies finally having given out after a few more passion filled sessions.  Asami stroked Korra’s hair, and the Avatar practically purred in contentment.

“I thought you said you didn’t know what you were doing,” remarked Korra, “but that sure doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“It’s amazing what you can learn in books,” admitted Asami, blushing.

Korra gave her a strange look.

“What?  I had to find some way to entertain myself while you were gone,” grumbled Asami, her cheeks growing hotter.

“Well, I’m not complaining,” replied Korra, giving Asami a lazy grin.  They drifted back into silence, but Asami could tell Korra’s mind was working on something.  She hoped it didn’t lead to another embarrassing disclosure.

“So are we ever going to go on a real date?” asked Korra after a moment, snuggling against Asami’s side.

“Of course.  You still owe me dinner,” replied Asami, giving her a mischievous grin.  “Don’t think I’ve forgotten dinner just because I got kidnapped, jumped out of an airship, got rescued by a spirit bird, was nearly drowned by a spirit jellyfish with way too many eyes, and saved your butt all in the span of a few days.  It takes much more than that to distract me.”

“Good to know,” said Korra, laughing heartily.  It felt good to laugh again.


	8. Chapter 8

Asami flopped into her chair and let out a noisy breath.  She glanced at the clock and bit back a groan.  It was not even noon yet, and the day had already been incredibly trying.  After she’d spent that first night with Korra, the two had not wanted to be parted for more than a few minutes, so Asami delayed returning to her offices for another two days.  They’d spent the time blissfully wrapped up in one another, emerging only for a few meals which were hurriedly eaten under Pema’s far too knowing looks.  Then, they’d escape back to Korra’s room, ignoring the world outside for just a little longer.  But it couldn’t last.  Korra needed to deal with the aftermath of her rash actions and Asami’s company demanded her attention.  Halfheartedly, they’d parted this morning.  Only the promise of finally going on their date this evening had let Asami walk out the door and hop on the early ferry.

No sooner had Asami arrived at the office when she was bombarded by demands for her attention.  Tamtu was already there, waiting for her.  The secretary had greeted her as warmly as Asami had ever remembered.  Then, she’d promptly handed Asami a very thick stack of papers and reports, complete with a list of her appointments for the day on the top.  Asami had spent the first half of the morning trying to get up to speed and putting out fires.  Much to Tamtu’s chagrin, she’d rescheduled a few of her meetings, pushing them back to her already packed afternoon.  Yet, she’d had her reasons.  The second half of the morning she’d spent trying to assess and minimize the political fallout from Korra’s escapades.

Asami knew that Korra would likely not approve of Asami’s interference, but the engineer was fiercely protective of her new lover.  Surprisingly, the damage from the past days’ events seemed to be relatively minor.  The White Lotus guards were understandably reluctant to admit to their failure in containing Kuvira, regardless of the Avatar’s involvement.  While they weren’t openly lying, they certainly weren’t making the break out public.  From the point of view of the citizens of Republic City, the rounding up of some forty odd Earth Empire soldiers by the police force was a coup for Chief Beifong.  The details in the news were hazy enough that Kuvira and Korra’s connection to the events of that day were tenuous at best.  Even the testimony of the Earth Empire soldiers was confused and contradictory enough to obscure the truth.  President Raiko seemed to suspect something was fishy, but without hard evidence he was doing the politically savvy thing and riding the wave of positive popular sentiment instead of making a fuss, letting the reflected glory boost his ratings as well.  Overall, it was better than Asami had hoped for and a few choice calls to the local papers seemed to sew up any loose ends.

Only one call had truly come hard.  After assuring herself that Korra would be protected from public outcry, Asami had dialed Chief Beifong’s number.  The conversation was short, neither women wasting words on pleasantries, but it left Asami drained, because she’d done something she never thought she’d do – she asked to set up a meeting with Kuvira.  Lin explained tersely that after recent events it wasn’t likely that Kuvira would be allowed visitors anytime soon.  Surprising even herself, Asami had launched into a defense of Kuvira, informing the police chief of Kuvira’s role in protecting the Avatar.  Lin had listened.  At the end of Asami’s speech, the chief had paused for a long moment, then told Asami that she would see what she could do, no promises.  For Asami, it was enough.

As she rocked back in her chair rubbing her forehead, Asami realized that she wasn’t even sure why she wanted to see Kuvira.  The woman was a mass murderer, entirely deserving of whatever punishment had been meted out to her.  She had killed Asami’s father.  Yet, Korra had seen something in her, and in the end Kuvira had proven her loyalty to Korra in a very powerful way.  She was a puzzle to Asami, and Asami couldn’t resist puzzles.  Shaking her head, Asami cleared thoughts of Kuvira from her mind.  It wasn’t a puzzle that was going to be solved today.  She turned her focus to the stack of papers that had only seemed to grow instead of shrink since she’d arrived.

Asami’s work was interrupted by a commotion in the outer office.  She tensed, her senses immediately on alert.  She was already reaching for her shock glove when she heard Tamtu’s voice rise in protest.

“Ms. Sato is extremely busy at the moment.  I can’t allow you in without an appointment.”

“She’ll want to see me, appointment or not,” rebutted a deeper voice.

Asami relaxed instantly as the mellow tones of Korra’s voice reached her, a wide smile forming on her face.  The newly repaired door to her office burst open, and Korra strode through, an array of baskets and bags hanging from her arms and a bouquet of flowers in one hand.  Tamtu followed close behind, an irritated grimace on her face.

“Avatar Korra would like to see you, Ms. Sato,” Tamtu announced sourly from behind Korra’s shoulder.

Asami tried to keep the laughter out of her voice as she replied, “I see that.”

Glancing amusedly back and forth between the two, Asami finally motioned for Tamtu to go.  “It’s alright, Tamtu, thank you.  Avatar Korra may see me whenever she likes.  Besides, I believe I’m scheduled for lunch in ten minutes anyway.”  

“As you wish, Ms. Sato.”  Tamtu gave Korra’s back a reproachful, disapproving glare before leaving the office.  Despite her irritation, the secretary closed the door quietly behind her, leaving Korra and Asami with their privacy.

Asami studied the Avatar as she sauntered over to Asami’s desk and placed the bouquet and all the bags and baskets in front of her.  The engineer was incredibly pleased to see a bit of the familiar swagger back in Korra’s step, not to mention a bit turned on.  Taking in those toned arms had her wishing they were back on Airbender Island instead of in her office.  She finally glanced down at the flowers after Korra gave her an expectant look.  Asami lit up.

“Panda lilies!”

A sudden thought occurred to Asami and she fixed Korra with a mock glare.  “Do I want to know how you managed to get these this morning?”

“That would probably be a ‘no’,” replied Korra, her smile transforming from cocky to sheepish under Asami’s scrutiny.

“I thought so,” chided Asami, trying to hide her own smile and failing miserably.  “And I’m guessing the fact that you brought these also means you didn’t have time to talk to Tenzin and the others?”

“Does waving at them while I was walking out the door count?”

“Korra,” Asami said in a gently admonishing tone.  “You’ll have to talk to everybody eventually.”

“I know,” replied Korra glumly, looking down at the floor.  “It’s just that I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything in particular.  They’re worried about you.  They just need to know that you’re alright.  OK?”  Asami fixed Korra with a firm look, standing and reaching across the desk for Korra’s hand.  When Korra glanced up, Asami repeated softly, “OK?”

“OK.”  Korra gave her a wistful smile.

Asami moved around the desk to be closer to Korra.  Korra met her halfway, sweeping her into a tight hug and kissing her in a way that had Asami’s knees going weak.

“So,” started Asami, her voice just a bit breathless, “not that I’m complaining, but I didn’t expect to see you until tonight.  What’s all this?”

Korra suddenly turned bashful, looking anywhere but at Asami.  She mumbled something that Asami couldn’t hear.

“Come again?” asked Asami.

“I got worried,” repeated Korra, louder this time.  She finally met Asami’s eyes, and Asami could see a mix of fear and embarrassment in Korra’s face.  “It’s stupid.  But last time we tried to do this you ended up…somewhere else.  So I thought maybe I’d move up the timetable for our date and bring you lunch instead.  Or maybe two dates – lunch and dinner?  Just to make sure...”

“I didn’t disappear again,” finished Asami.

“Right.”

Asami gave Korra a warm, sympathetic smile.  “It’s not stupid at all.  I think it’s sweet.”

“Oh thank god, because I’m starving.  I was so nervous I didn’t eat breakfast,” Korra said in a rush, blowing out a relieved breath.  Asami chuckled when Korra’s stomach corroborated Korra’s story with a loud rumble.

“Well, let’s not keep you waiting, then,” replied Asami.

Slipping out of Korra’s arms, Asami began opening bags.  She was surprised at the quantity and variety of food, enough to feed a small army, or at the very least four Avatars plus Asami.  She found her favorite noodles next to a container of sweet buns with strange jelly squiggles on them.  When she held one up questioningly to Korra, the Avatar laughed.

“Those are Pema’s sweet buns, but Meelo decided to help decorate them.  I think that one was supposed to be a shock glove.”  Korra raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, examining the bun.  “Or possibly an air bison, unless you’ve grown an extra finger or two I don’t know about.  Apparently Meelo’s artistic skills don’t extend to food.”

“Well, either way, thank Pema and Meelo for me,” said Asami, taking a bite from the bun.  She hummed happily, savoring the flavor.  As far as Asami was concerned, Pema made the best sweet buns in the United Republic.  Holding the bun up at mouth level, Asami offered it to Korra, who took an enormous bite, practically devouring the rest of the treat.

“Ish gooth,” Korra said, her cheeks full of bits of bun.

Asami laughed.  “You have terrible manners.”

Korra swallowed the half chewed bun, her throat bobbing with the effort.  Then, she gave Asami a cheeky smile.  “I know, but you love me anyway.”

“That I do,” conceded Asami, wiping a crumb from the corner of Korra’s mouth and placing a light kiss on her cheek.  “Now, help me serve this food.”

Plates loaded, Asami and Korra settled on the couch together.  They sat in companionable silence, Asami eating slowly while relishing the profusion of tasty foods that Korra had procured.  Korra, as usual, wolfed her food down and was halfway through her second plate when Asami finally finished her first.  Setting her plate aside, Asami watched Korra, eyes hungrily taking in every detail.  Korra beamed at her between bites, the Avatar’s happiness twinkling in her eyes.  Asami smiled softly back at her, grateful to have Korra almost back to her usual self. 

Yet, if she looked carefully there were signs that Korra wasn’t completely recovered, which was not all that surprising.  Their worlds had been turned upside down and then righted again in only a few short days.  It would leave anybody reeling.  Faint shadows lurked below Korra’s eyes that had nothing to do with their recent nightly activities.  There was a slight jumpiness in the motion of Korra’s body and whenever Asami moved Korra’s eyes tracked her with a possessiveness that had more to do with fear than desire.  Korra’s knuckles were still raw from her fight with Kuvira.  She could’ve healed herself at anytime, but Asami suspected that Korra kept the cuts like some sort of penance. 

Then there’d been the nightmare last night.  Korra had awoken screaming Asami’s name and when Asami had pulled her in for a soothing hug, Korra had clutched her so hard she’d left bruises on Asami’s ribs.  They hadn’t really talked about it.  They hadn’t needed to.  Asami knew without Korra’s confirmation what the nightmare had been about and all she could do was reassure Korra that she was still here.  As she studied Korra, Asami understood that this was going to take time to heal.  It seemed to be the story of their relationship – one hurting while the other took care of them.  Asami determined to change that for the better.

“Do I have food on my face?” asked Korra, eyebrows knitted together and her fork halfway to her mouth.

“What?”  Asami blinked, jerked out of her thoughts.

“You’re frowning and staring at me.  I thought I must have food on my face.  You know me, Miss Manners and all.”

Asami chuckled.  “No, you don’t have food on your face.”

“That’s a first,” grumbled Korra good-naturedly.  “So what’s up?”

“I-,” Asami hesitated, choosing her words carefully.  “I need you to promise me something.”

“Oh-kay,” said Korra slowly, putting her fork down.  She raised a curious brow.  When Asami didn’t immediately respond, she said, ”Asami, what is it?”

Asami reached for Korra’s hand, pulling it into her lap.  She ran her fingers over the knuckles, light enough not to hurt Korra.  Tapping gently on one of the healing cuts to bring Korra’s attention to it, Asami said, “I need you to promise me that you’ll let this go.”

“I don’t know if I can,” replied Korra grimly.

“Korra, you have to or it will drive you crazy.”  Asami stroked Korra’s cheek.  Troubled blue eyes peered back at her.  “Listen, you’re the Avatar, and I…well, I’m the CEO of a very influential company, not to mention the Avatar’s girlfriend.”  She smiled at the term before continuing.  “That means that things are going to happen in our lives that don’t happen to everybody else, and sometimes those things are going to be dangerous.”

“I’m well aware of that, Asami,” Korra interrupted testily.

“Yes, you are, but what you don’t see is that means it’s even more important to let all this worry and fear go.  I may live another hundred years or die next week-“

Asami preemptively cut off Korra’s fierce protest with a sharp wave of her hand and a firm look.

“-and the risks are even higher for you because of who you are.  I accept that.  Nobody knows when they’ll go.  But we can’t dwell on it.  In fact, it makes it that much more important that we focus on now.  Please, Korra, I want you to be with me, right here, right now, and you can’t be if you’re somewhere in the past.”

“So, what?  I just forget how it felt?!  That’s impossible!” retorted Korra, her voice growing louder as she pulled her hand away.  She jumped up from the couch and looked down at Asami with frustrated eyes.  She motioned to the center of her chest with both hands.  “It’s right here, sitting next to my heart, even when I’m not thinking about it.  I can’t even describe it.  You have no idea-“

“I watched my father die,” Asami growled, “I think I have a pretty good idea.”

Korra deflated in the face of Asami’s anger, her features hanging with instant regret.  Next thing Asami knew, Korra was on a knee in front of her, taking both of Asami’s hands in her own.  “God, Asami, that was stupid.  I’m so sorry.”

Asami glared at her for a moment longer, before taking a deep breath and letting it go.  “Korra, I don’t want to fight.  I know maybe I’m pushing you and that this will just take time, but we can’t spend our lives always looking backward, or anticipating the next catastrophe.  I just got you back after three years.  Don’t disappear on me again, even if it’s just up here.”

She tapped gently on Korra’s temple to emphasize her point.

“I won’t disappear, I swear,” vowed Korra solemnly, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.  And just remember, neither am I.  No matter what happens to us, either of us, I am always going to be with you.”  Asami leaned in and kissed Korra tenderly.

After a moment, Korra leaned back and gave Asami a wide-eyed look of wonder.  “Always?”

Asami's eyes widened as she realized the implications of her words.  They’d only been together for a short while and now she sounded like she was talking about forever.  Her cheeks burned and she spluttered, “Well, yes, um, I suppose…I mean, if you want me to…though I wasn’t proposing or anything-“

Korra’s boisterous laughter halted Asami’s stammering.  She swatted the Avatar’s shoulder playfully, which only caused Korra to hoot louder and fall back onto the floor on her butt.

“Oh, shut up.  I was trying to be romantic,” grumbled Asami, eyes narrowed in a half-serious glare.

“I totally had you going there for a minute,” replied Korra, wiping a tear of laughter away from the corner of her eye.  She gave Asami a sly grin, before her features softened into a sweeter smile.  “But seriously, that really means a lot to me.  You might have to remind me now and again to get outside of my own head, but I want you to know that I want nothing more than to be with you.  I’m going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“That’s all I want,” replied Asami softly, pulling Korra up off the floor and onto the couch with her.

***

At the end of Ms. Sato’s lunch hour, Tamtu entered the office to remind the CEO that her next appointment would be arriving in fifteen minutes.  At first she was a bit annoyed to find Ms. Sato and the Avatar curled up, asleep together on the corner of the couch.  After all, they _did_ have a business to run.  But as the secretary watched the pair snoozing, Ms. Sato’s head on the Avatar’s chest, her features as soft and relaxed as Tamtu had ever seen, a peculiar feeling filled the secretary’s chest.  She nodded firmly to herself and quietly closed the door to the office, careful not to wake the two.

Ms. Sato’s afternoon appointments could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a/n: Thanks again to everybody who has read, left kudos, and commented on this work. I hope you have all enjoyed the story, and that I managed to strike the right balance between action, suspense, love and sex. Let me know what your final thoughts are.


End file.
